The Power of Her Voice: Alhanislam Becomes UN’s First Global Advocate for Peace

 Her Voice News 

The Power of Her Voice: Alhanislam Becomes UN’s First Global Advocate for Peace

It started with a poem. A voice. A young woman standing tall in the middle of a room, speaking softly but firmly and the room leaned in.

Years later, that same voice has echoed across continents.

Maryam Hassan Bukar, known to many by her stage name Alhanislam, has just made history as the United Nations' first-ever Global Advocate for Peace. And true to form, she didn’t step into that role quietly she owned it, performing live on July 27, 2025, at SummerStage NYC alongside Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti and Cape Verdean sensation Elida Almeida.

But this story didn’t start in New York.

It began in Nigeria, with a girl who found power in poetry, and chose to use that power not just to perform but to teach, to organize, to uplift.

From Spoken Word to Global Stage....

Over the years, Alhanislam has turned words into action. Through her initiative, “Through My Voice,” she’s trained over 5,000 young Africans in storytelling, creative advocacy, and finding courage in their truth.

She’s spoken for climate justice at COP28, stood as a finalist for the 2024 UN SDG Creativity Award, and continued to push for a world where young people and women aren’t just included they’re leading.

Now, in this new role at the United Nations, she’ll be championing both the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas. But instead of policies and press briefings, she’ll be using her gift storytelling to move hearts, shift narratives, and build bridges.

“Peace isn’t just a political conversation. It’s personal. It’s cultural. It starts from the stories we’re willing to tell and the ones we’re willing to hear,” she said in a brief comment following her announcement.

A New Kind of Leadership.....

The UN’s Under‑Secretary‑General for Peace Operations, Jean‑Pierre Lacroix, described her appointment as a step forward in bringing global attention to how women and youth contribute to peace not as spectators, but as solution-drivers.

It’s a big job. But if there’s anyone who can hold the weight of it, it’s Maryam.

She doesn’t come with a loud voice, but with a clear one. She doesn’t command attention she earns it. And she reminds us all that you don’t need a title to lead you just need a truth worth telling.

More Than a Win A Message....

Her appointment is more than a personal milestone. It’s a message to African girls, young creatives, and quiet dreamers everywhere: Your voice matters. And the world needs to hear it.

At Her Voice News, we’re not just reporting this story we’re holding it close. Because this is what happens when art meets purpose. When poetry meets policy. When a woman steps into the light and brings her people with her.

Maryam Hassan Bukar isn’t just a poet anymore.

She’s a peacemaker. A storyteller. A global advocate.

And most importantly, she is proof that when a woman speaks with heart she doesn’t just make noise. She makes history.