MPA student represents Afghan women at international accountability summit

Augusta University Master of Public Administration student Maryam Faiq Gardiwal traveled to Spain in December to participate in the HearUs Summit: Coordinating Action for Accountability for Afghanistan. It’s an international gathering focused on human rights accountability and justice for Afghan women and girls. Convened by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with international partners and Afghan civil society organizations, the summit centered on turning recently adopted United Nations’ accountability mechanisms into meaningful action. 

The summit brought together Afghan female leaders, former parliamentarians, international officials, human rights advocates and policy experts. Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, opened the conference and announced that a room in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be named in honor of Afghan women and girls, a symbolic gesture of solidarity and recognition. 

Gardiwal volunteered for the summit and served both as a speaker and moderator during the two-day event. On the first day, she moderated and facilitated a panel and workshop focused specifically on accountability mechanisms. The session created space for advocates and subject-matter experts to examine how international resolutions adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council could be implemented effectively. Gardiwal guided the discussion, organized contributions and helped consolidate shared recommendations. 

On the second day, she presented those recommendations during the main plenary session, contributing to broader conversations on institutional responsibility and the role of governments and the international community in ensuring follow-through. For Gardiwal, the experience was both professionally enriching and deeply personal. 

“As Afghan women, solidarity and recognition in moments like this are incredibly meaningful,” she said. “It reminds us that our voices are being heard.” 

Gardiwal’s advocacy is rooted in lived experience. She grew up under Taliban rule, left Afghanistan as a child to pursue education and later witnessed Afghan women again being denied basic rights after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Those experiences shaped her decision to pursue public administration and focus on accountability and policy. 

She credits her coursework in AU’s MPA program with giving her the tools to engage confidently in international spaces.

“The knowledge I’m gaining helps me stay grounded, focused and intentional,” she said. “It allows me to raise my voice in a meaningful way.” 

MPA Program Director Wesley Meares, PhD, praised Gardiwal’s leadership and engagement.

“Her success reflects not only her own hard work and leadership, but also the quality of our MPA students, who are thoughtful, community-focused and committed to the values of public service,” Meares said. 

For Gardiwal, the summit reinforced the connection between academic study and real-world impact.

“These events are like a laboratory,” she said. “What we learn in the classroom comes alive when we apply it in the world.” 

Her participation at the HearUs Summit stands as a powerful example of how public service education can prepare students to engage at the highest levels — while keeping humanity, accountability and justice at the center of the work. 

“Gardiwal’s work on the international stage reflects the very best of what we strive for in the MPA program,” said Kim Davies, PhD, dean of the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Art, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

“Her leadership, her courage and her commitment to accountability embody the values of public service that guide our curriculum,” Davies said. “We are incredibly proud of her and inspired by the way she is turning her education into meaningful global impact.”