https://www.seedoperations.org/home daily 1.0 2026-05-20 https://www.seedoperations.org/contact daily 0.75 2025-12-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410209232219-Y3G9CSHANEQWI5VEOEWC/NT03.jpg Contact https://www.seedoperations.org/about-us daily 0.75 2025-12-16 https://www.seedoperations.org/founder daily 0.75 2026-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/f4179509-28ab-4c51-8124-f404864dcbf7/IMG_7500.jpeg The Founder - Maryam Nayeb Yazdi Founded Seed Operations to transform her independent human rights work into a lasting, institutional force for change. Politicians, journalists, rights organizations, and media frequently sought Maryam’s insights, but without an official organization, her knowledge was often used without credit or compensation. For most of her activism for Iran’s freedom movement, Maryam worked without pay, fearing that fundraising could be weaponized against her by the regime, which has stigmatized financial support. This is the driving reason why Maryam established Seed—to create a space where it’s safe to recognize and value the work and contributions of change-makers helping to advance humanity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/d8aa95ab-536d-4301-b27e-b25cdd390438/Screenshot+2025-01-27+at+2.28.42%E2%80%AFPM.png The Founder - Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Maryam consulted extensively with my team and was instrumental in connecting us to victims and their families. In addition, she played a critical role for us in providing us interpretation during Skype interview sessions between the victims, their families and UN experts, as well as monitoring prisoner situations and keeping my team informed of changes. These interviews made up the bulk of my reports to the UN and I could not have done this without Maryam’s important contributions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/b0d6a910-70f3-4d59-9397-e0df3c57e42e/liv.jpeg The Founder - Liv Tørres, Former Executive Director, Nobel Peace Center I was so taken by Maryam’s work that I granted OWRI the Center’s space and pushed for the Center to become an official sponsor. Maryam’s human rights advocacy work has the power to galvanize people to action. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/22711dce-6a3a-43fd-9fac-1925f4d15212/alex.png The Founder - Alex Neve, Former Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada Maryam’s intimate knowledge on the human rights violations being committed in Iran coupled with her fierce passion for advocacy and justice make her an integral force in any of these cases. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/364fdcec-3278-4c81-bc96-d9a31f4d31d3/olivia.jpeg The Founder - Olivia Ward, Canadian Journalist and Filmmaker Ms. Nayeb Yazdi has, for some years, become a go-to resource on human rights in Iran and the Middle East, for her deep knowledge of the personalities and machinations of Tehran’s clerical regime. Because of her wide network of contacts in Iran and the worldwide diaspora, Ms. Nayeb Yazdi has been able to give invaluable insight into the minds and hearts of people who are often hidden from Western view, but who will ultimately determine the fate of the country. This has made her a sought-after consultant for international organizations and governments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/2d189e43-5b26-4c5a-a1d8-e6a611427289/Screenshot+2025-01-27+at+2.31.58%E2%80%AFPM.png The Founder - Liza Donnelly, Writer and Cartoonist I am impressed with how Maryam can take complex issues that are hard to talk about and approach them in a way that makes the root issues so clear to see and understand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/528f0cba-1c6a-4dce-b3fa-4b7062d92f39/payam.jpeg The Founder - Payam Akhavan, Professor at McGill University I served as an advisor and facilitator on the Saeed Malekpour campaign that Maryam spearheaded and would not hesitate to serve as an advisor to her next campaign. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/02235f98-d52a-4bd1-9ed0-f1c385f29f79/Screenshot+2025-01-27+at+2.20.51%E2%80%AFPM.png The Founder - Gayle Karen Young, Former Chief Culture and Talent Officer, Wikimedia Foundation Very few individuals in the discipline of human rights have received the acclaim and widespread recognition on the level that Maryam has for her research and work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/14a84396-dbaa-4601-aa22-8ac66adfdd18/colin.jpeg The Founder - Colin Crowell, Former Vice President, Global Public Policy & Philanthropy Twitter, Inc. Maryam is a pioneer in online activism and played a critical role in raising awareness about human rights violations in Iran on social media... She brings original contributions and thought leadership with respect to human rights in contemporary Iran and the Middle East to the civic discussion. Her presentations and writings underscore her insights into the complex interplay between political power, human rights, and unresolved conflict in the Middle East. Maryam has attained a reputation of acclaim in human rights thought leadership and advanced a very insightful approach, which is that people in open societies should advocate for change in foreign policy that integrates human rights. This is an original contribution to conceptualizing the interplay between foreign policy and human rights. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/577622ec-23ce-496d-967c-5c54aff0fc2e/Screenshot+2025-01-27+at+2.34.42%E2%80%AFPM.png The Founder - Dr. Farrokh Zandi, Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Schulich School of Business, York University Maryam is a well-known public figure within the Iranian Canadian community from her years of efforts within this community. During her time at the Iranian Canadian Congress, she led the event planning and management of two major fundraiser events: one with 250 guests at an upscale golf club and one with 900 guests held at the prestigious Royal York Hotel. https://www.seedoperations.org/experience-seed-1 daily 0.75 2025-07-02 https://www.seedoperations.org/chat daily 0.75 2026-05-06 https://www.seedoperations.org/the-framework daily 0.75 2026-04-08 https://www.seedoperations.org/new-page-5 daily 0.75 2026-04-27 https://www.seedoperations.org/the-white-paper daily 0.75 2026-05-06 https://www.seedoperations.org/store daily 0.75 2026-01-07 https://www.seedoperations.org/shift-kit daily 0.75 2026-03-03 https://www.seedoperations.org/shift-kit/the-ai-truth-shift-kit monthly 0.5 2026-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af3626a50a54fa06a9be9c2/6cd2b0bb-9cb2-4306-a7a0-d6555eec3d9d/a31ebe51-fdb1-44e6-9122-f84b5b077635.jpg AI Shift Kit - New AI Truth Shift Kit. May 2026 - a31ebe51-fdb1-44e6-9122-f84b5b077635.jpg