Among the 245 Young Global Leaders chosen by the World Economic Forum for 2008 were film industry elites, CEOs of major corporations, the King of Bhutan, Queen of Morocco and Elliott School graduate student Ahmad Nader Nadery.

Nadery, who was recognized for his work as commissioner of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said the recognition led to elation but also to added responsibility.

“First is a feeling of happiness, but at the same time a feeling of more responsibility that will be expected from those who are (given) such a recognition at the world stage,” Nadery explained in an e-mail.

Candidates for the award are “proposed and assessed according to rigorous selection criteria.” This year, YGL chose from more than 5,000 candidates from more than 65 countries. A selection committee chaired by Queen Rania of Jordan evaluated the short list of candidates.

The nomination came as a surprise to Nadery, who did not even know he was nominated until a media source contacted him for comment.

“I think I was nominated by the United Nations. I heard it first from a journalist who called to ask about my reaction for the recognition,” Nadery said.

In addition to his position as commissioner for the AIHRC, Nadery works as a leading commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, chairperson of Fair and Free Election Foundation of Afghanistan and is a member of the steering committee for Citizens Against Terror, among other responsibilities.

Nadery joins a highly selective group of candidates who were chosen and acknowledged “for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world,” according to a YGL statement.

Even in the GW community, Nadery has contributed to his classes and is an “enormous resource and asset to the classroom,” said GW professor Leisl A. Riddle, who taught Nadery last semester and serves as director of GW’s Diaspora Homeland Capital Investment Project.

“(Nadery) was able to bring personal policy experience to class discussion and assignments,” Riddle said.

Though Nadery’s recognition is a personal honor, Riddle said it also serves to represent hope and change for his country.

“(Nadery) gives a voice to many inside Afghanistan who are voiceless in the international community,” Riddle said.

Nadery already holds a law degree from the Kabul University School of Law and will earn his master’s of international policy and practice degree from the Elliott School this spring. He hopes that after being named a Global Leader, “upholding those expectations will be always a challenge and a source for motivation.”