Manizha Bakhtari is an Afghan diplomat, author and journalist who serves as the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Austria. She is internationally recognized for refusing to represent the Taliban’s regime since 2021, instead maintaining her post in Vienna to represent the Afghan people and an advocate against “gender apartheid.” Bakhtari has also served as the Ambassador to the Nordic Countries (2009–2015), the Afghan chief of staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2007–2009) and a social worker and advocate in Vancouver, Canada (2018–2020). Bakhtari earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and her Master’s degree in Persian Language and Literature, both at Kabul University in Afghanistan. In 2022, she founded the Daughters Programme to support underground and online schooling for Afghan girls.