YPDC Leadership Team
Zakaria El Hamel
Fouder & President
Zakaria El Hamel is a distinguished Moroccan human rights activist, journalist, and peace advocate born and raised in Morocco. Growing up during Morocco’s “Years of Lead,” a period marked by political repression and human rights violations, his early exposure to activism came from his father, a human rights defender. El Hamel studied law and in 2005 founded “Youth for Peace and Dialogue Between Cultures,” an organization dedicated to fostering tolerance, intercultural dialogue, and respect among youth from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. His initiatives have gained international recognition with multiple awards, including Nomination for The Alternative Nobel Prize and he has participated in significant global forums advocating for peace and human rights. Known for his strategic approach to youth empowerment and peacebuilding, he continues to inspire social change across Morocco and beyond.
Houda Belabd
Media & Communications Officer
Manages the organization’s public image, develops digital content, and oversees social media, newsletters, and press relations.
Houda Belabd is a secular journalist advocating for coexistence.
Houda Belabd is a French-Moroccan secular journalist and columnist known for her outspoken advocacy for intercultural dialogue, historical memory, and peaceful coexistence. Her work has appeared in platforms such as The Times of Israel, Lepetitjournal, and QOSHE, where she writes primarily in French.
Her writing blends historical reflection with contemporary urgency, calling on French authorities and civil society to uphold values of solidarity and remembrance. Through her secular lens, Belabd champions a vision of France that honors its diverse heritage and fosters bridges across cultures and generations. actualy she is working with the famous l’opinion french daily newspaper.
BLENDI DIBRA
Senior Advisor
Blendi Dibra is the Executive Director of IRSH NGO and the General Secretary of Football Club Vllaznia. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Law and has been actively engaged in a wide range of civil society projects. As the elected Deputy Chair of the Albanian National Council of Civil Society, Mr. Dibra has played a significant role in promoting an enabling environment for the development of civil society in Albania.
At the local level, his work has focused on enhancing transparency, strengthening public participation, and advancing consultative decision-making processes within local governance. Mr. Dibra has also contributed to promoting peace and stability in the Western Balkans through youth exchange initiatives and regional cooperation. His current efforts include the establishment of a Master’s Program in Peace Studies aimed at fostering dialogue and academic collaboration across the region.
RANA ITAN BADARANI
Peace and Dreams Education Coordinator
Dream Planner and founder of the French Startup Com Un Rêve / Manage Happiness. I bring dreams into companies as a human resources and managerial innovation.
Ambassador of World Dream Day, France.*Founder of the Association Le Rêve Pour Tous, whose mission is to cultivate a culture of dreams in France, to inspire actions that raise awareness about dreams throughout the year in order to highlight them on the occasion of World Dream Day France on September 25.
Noureddine Madrane
Cultural Advisor and Artistic Programs Coordinator
Nourreddine Madrane* is a Moroccan visual artist, calligrapher, choreographer, and professor based in Berkane. A graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Montpellier, France (DNAP & DNSEP, with Jury Honors), he is known for his deeply poetic and abstract work that explores themes of memory, identity, and resistance. His artistic language blends calligraphy, symbolism, and color into what he calls “pictorial choreography.”
As a professor of Drawing and Painting at the National School of Architecture in Oujda and President of *Orient’Art for Development*, Madrane is a committed cultural leader and educator. He is also the founder of *TIFIN’ART*, a platform dedicated to the recognition of Amazigh and African cultural expressions. His work has been exhibited across Morocco, Europe, and North Africa, and he is the author of several influential books on art and philosophy.
Ilyas Belkasmi
Secretary General
Responsible for maintaining official records, drafting meeting minutes, managing correspondence, and ensuring organizational transparency.
Chaymaa Benmoussa
Human Rights Education Coordinator
Designs and facilitates workshops, creates educational content, and promotes human rights awareness in schools and communities.
Kabine Doumbia
International Relations Coordinator
Kabine Doumbia is an influential Malian NGO leader and human rights advocate, with expertise in international environmental law and a dedicated voice against colonial exploitation and for the advancement of African sovereignty and human dignity
Yassine Chahbouni
Program Director
Leads the development and delivery of peacebuilding, human rights, and intercultural dialogue programs across Morocco and internationally.
Yahya Lahsayni
National Policy Cordinator
Yahya Lahsayyni serves as the National Policy Coordinator at Youth for Peace and Dialogue between Cultures. With expertise in policy development, advocacy, and youth empowerment, he works to promote peacebuilding and intercultural dialogue at the national level.
Expertise: Policy Development, Advocacy, Youth Empowerment, Peacebuilding, Intercultural Dialogue
Rida Mhamdi
Finance & Administration Officer
Manages the budget, prepares financial reports, oversees logistics, and supports fundraising and donor relations.
Abdellah Lahsaini
Advocacy and Policy Specialist
Abdellah Lahsaini is a Moroccan writer, teacher, and independent researcher born in 1980 in Berkane. He holds two university degrees in International Law and Social Development. His work bridges academic research and cultural activism. As the founder and president of the Heritage Academy NGO, he has led numerous initiatives to document, preserve, and promote the tangible and intangible heritage of Eastern Morocco. He has published several books in both literary and historical genres, including Jraoua, The Beni Yznassen, Sidi Mohand Abarakan, and The Gospel of the Amazighs. He is frequently invited to conferences and cultural events focused on identity, memory, and heritage protection.
Edrick Louissaint
Human Rights and Protection Advisor
Edrick Louissaint* is a protection consultant of human rights, holder of a degree in legal sciences from the UEH (Université d’État d’Haiti) and a master’s degree in international cooperation and humanitarian aid from the KALU Institute. Certified by the US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights (USIDHR) and Geneva for Human Rights, he works actively promoting dignity human and social justice. Ambassador of peace to the Universal Peace Federation and member of Global Peace Lets Talk International, he collaborates with several international organizations, including Youth for Human Rights International, The Mordecai Project, ABC Hôpitaux France, etc. His commitment aims to promote the culture of human rights and ethics among young people in order to strengthen their role as actors of positive social change.
Ashan Perera
Ashan Perera is a renowned Sri Lankan youth leader, activist, and human rights advocate. Since age 8, he’s led youth movements, focusing on value-based education and community service. As founder of “The Road to Rights,” Ashan empowers youth and promotes human rights, peace, and humanitarian services. He’s received international recognition, including the “International Human Rights Hero Award” in 2012, and has contributed to policy-making processes, serving as a Global Youth Advocate for the United Nations.