Adela Raz

Adela Raz (born 1986) is an Afghan politician who served as the last ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States from July 2021 to February 2022. Raz was also the first woman to hold the office of Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations.

Adela Raz
Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States
In office
26 July 2021 – 18 February 2022
PresidentAshraf Ghani
Preceded byRoya Rahmani
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations
In office
31 December 2018 – 1 June 2021
Preceded byMahmoud Saikal
Succeeded byGhulam M. Isaczai
Personal details
Born1986 (age 36–37)
EducationSimmons University (BA)
Tufts University (MA)

Early life and education

Raz's father was killed by the Taliban because he was perceived as too progressive.[1]

Raz has a BA with majors in International Relations, Political Science and Economics from Simmons University in Boston, and an MA in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University.[2][3][1] She was the first Afghan to gain a H-1B visa.[1]

Career

Raz worked from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.[2] From 2010 until 2013, she worked with an international development organization in the US.[2] She is an advocate for gender equality, women's education and human rights.[1] She has worked to assist women develop sustainable work and participate in society.[1]

In 2013, she was appointed Deputy Spokesperson and Director of Communications to President Hamid Karzai, the first woman to hold the positions.[2][4][5] She became Chief of Staff in November 2014 and was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Cooperation in March 2016 at age 30.[2][6][7] In March 2018, she was part of a delegation of Afghan women to visit Washington DC, where she spoke about the need for more women in Afghan political life and the need for the rest of the world to consider them partners, not merely victims or recipients of aid.[8]

On 31 December 2018, President Ashraf Ghani appointed Raz as Afghanistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, replacing Ambassador Mahmoud Saikal. She is the first woman to hold the position.[3][9][10][11] In March 2019, she was unanimously selected as vice president of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.[12]

Raz was appointed the Afghan ambassador to the United States on 26 July 2021.[13] Following the 2021 fall of Kabul that toppled the Islamic Republic and ushered in the return of the Taliban, Raz continued in her post despite the previous Afghan government no longer having control over the country. On 18 February 2022, Raz was reported to have resigned from her ambassadorial position.[14]

On 14 April 2022, Raz was announced as director of the newly established Afghanistan Policy Lab, an Afghanistan-focused policy institute. The lab is a joint venture between Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs and the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination.[15]

Personal life

She is married to Matin Bek, former Chief of Staff to President Ashraf Ghani.[16]

References
  1. Elam-Thomas, Harriet Lee; Robison, Jim (2017). Diversifying Diplomacy: My Journey from Roxbury to Dakar. University of Nebraska Press. pp. 172–177. ISBN 9781612349503.
  2. "Biography of Mrs. H.E. Adela RazDeputy Foreign Minister for Economic Cooperation". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
  3. Khan Saif, Shadi (31 December 2018). "Afghanistan appoints first female permanent UN envoy". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  4. Harwooni, Mirwais; Shalizi, Hamid (25 June 2013). "Afghan Taliban attack in Kabul throws peace talks into further doubt". Reuters. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  5. Graham-Harrison, Emma (18 February 2014). "Hamid Karzai orders changes to draft law amid fears for Afghan women". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  6. "Adela Raz appointed deputy foreign minister for economic affairs". Khaama Press. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  7. Mashal, Mujib (9 January 2018). "Cutting Into Afghan Patronage: A Struggle to Make Government Younger". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  8. Mizener, Sara (8 March 2018). "Adela Raz and The New Generation of Afghan Women Leaders Delegation". The Initiative to Educate Afghan Women. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  9. "Adela Raz new Afghan ambassador to UN". Pajhwok Afghan News. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  10. Ashrafi, Nabila (1 January 2019). "Govt Appoints New Representative To UN". TOLO News. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  11. "Adela Raz becomes Afghanistan's first female envoy to UN". The Frontier Post. 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  12. Farooq, Umar (29 March 2019). "UN picks Afghan envoy as VP of Palestinian committee". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  13. Afghan Embassy DC [@Embassy_of_AFG] (26 July 2021). "Today Amb. @AdelaRaz officially began her first day as Afg's newly appointed Ambassador to the U.S." (Tweet). Retrieved 2 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. Madina Morwat (18 February 2022). "Afghan Ambassador to US to Step Down". TOLOnews. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  15. "SPIA launches Afghanistan Policy Lab". Princeton University. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  16. Swan, Jonathan (2021-10-03). "Afghan ambassador: Biden doesn't care about fate of Afghan girls". Axios. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
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