Leyla Taghiyeva serves as our National Coordinator for Azerbaijan. Through her recruitment efforts during the pandemic, she successfully re-established our presence in the country and brought together a dynamic group of highly motivated individuals. In 2022, the team organized their inaugural regional conference, ‘Tech the World,’ centered around the theme of innovation’s transformative power.
Additionally, Leyla is a well-known singer in Azerbaijan. Recently, she ingeniously merged her singing career with her values by composing the song ‘8 Billion People,’ which the European Union selected as the official anthem for a global social media campaign promoting peace. She received an invitation to perform the song at a Christmas Gala Concert in Vienna, dedicated to charity for Ukrainian children. During the event, she also delivered a speech emphasizing the significance of peace and freedom.
“It was an incredible experience to be able to connect my passion for freedom and peace with music. Being recognized at an international level was both a reward and an incentive to work harder in promoting the significance of these values,” says Leyla about the conference in Vienna.
The song she composed was inspired by the tragic story of a Ukrainian refugee she encountered while traveling across Europe to attend LibertyCon Europe. The song passionately calls for peace and has garnered attention from numerous diplomats, national representatives, and was even featured at the UN headquarters in New York. It received coverage on national television and international media, including a dedicated press conference. During her speech at the Regional Communications Seminar organized by the EU Delegation to International Organizations in Vienna, Leyla discussed the role of young people in resolving regional issues and their potential to foster peace. She was one of the five young influencers invited from around the world and notably the sole representative from the entire Eurasian region.
“SFL has truly changed my life — the people I have met and the ideas I have been exposed to have been extremely motivational for me to pursue my goals. I can confidently say that the values uniting the network constantly influence my personal and professional development in a very positive way, whether it pertains to self-discipline, respect, friendship, or innovation at work,” adds Leyla.
In January 2023, Leyla assumed the role of Students For Liberty’s TikTok Associate to further utilize her communication skills in support of a freer future.
