Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad shares her remarkable journey from a young Yazidi woman who survived ISIS captivity to a global advocate for human rights. In this compelling keynote, Nadia recounts how she transformed personal tragedy into a lifelong mission, working with leaders like Amal Clooney and founding Nadia’s Initiative to rebuild war-torn communities and support survivors of sexual violence.

Drawing from her upcoming memoir, Nadia shows how courage and resilience can empower anyone to make a difference. Her story is an inspiring call to action: a reminder that one voice, no matter how humble its beginnings, can change the world.

Nadia Murad was born in Kocho, a small farming village in northern Iraq. Her peaceful life was savagely interrupted when ISIS attacked her homeland with the intention of ethnically cleansing Iraq of all Yazidis, an ancient ethnic and religious minority. Like many minority groups, the Yazidis have carried the weight of historical persecution. Women in particular have suffered greatly, as they have been and continue to be victims of sexual violence. 

Now a bestselling author, a human rights activist, and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Nadia’s life has become a dizzying array of exhausting undertakings — from testifying before the U.N. to visiting refugee camps to soul-bearing media interviews and one-on-one meetings with top government officials. Nadia escaped the hands of ISIS to become a relentless beacon of hope for her people, even when at times she longs to lay aside this monumental burden and simply have an ordinary life. 

With deep compassion and her calm and steely demeanor, Nadia Murad tells of her harrowing ordeal as a captive of the Islamic State, her ultimately inspiring story of escape, and her new life as the voice of her people. Nadia delivers an inspiring call to action, a testament to the human will to survive, and a love letter to a lost country and a family torn apart by war.

A member of the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq, Nadia Murad was the victim of an attack on her home village by the Islamic State (ISIS). Several hundred people were massacred and hundreds of girls and young women, including Nadia, were abducted and held as sex slaves. Nadia was repeatedly subjected to rape and other abuses, but after three harrowing months, she managed to escape.

As a witness to the Islamic State’s brutality, a survivor of rape, a refugee, and a Yazidi, Nadia forced the world to pay attention to genocide and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. She became a Human Rights Activist, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and a tireless voice calling to make “never again” a reality. 

In this onstage conversation, Nadia raises awareness about the ongoing plight of the Yazidi people and shares her efforts to persuade governments and other organizations to financially support the rebuilding of the Yazidi homeland. In conjunction with her nonprofit, Nadia’s Initiative, Nadia outlines the programs to promote health, relocation, justice, and reparations for the thousands of displaced survivors. Nadia will deliver an impassioned speech calling for a worldwide, concerted humanitarian effort —overcoming all political and cultural division — to create a better future for women, children, and persecuted minorities.