Adela Raz Explained

Adela Raz
Office:Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States
President:Ashraf Ghani
Term Start:26 July 2021
Term End:18 February 2022
Predecessor:Roya Rahmani
Successor:Office abolished
Office1:Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations
Term Start1:31 December 2018
Term End1:1 June 2021
Predecessor1:Mahmoud Saikal
Successor1:Ghulam M. Isaczai
Education:Simmons University (BA)
Tufts University (MA)

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

Early life and education

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

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.[1] [2] [3] She was the first Afghan to gain a H-1B visa.[3]

Career

Raz worked from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.[1] From 2010 until 2013, she worked with an international development organization in the US.[1] She is an advocate for gender equality, women's education and human rights.[3] She has worked to assist women develop sustainable work and participate in society.[3]

In 2013, she was appointed Deputy Spokesperson and Director of Communications to President Hamid Karzai, the first woman to hold the positions.[1] [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.[1] [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.[2] [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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Biography of Mrs. H.E. Adela RazDeputy Foreign Minister for Economic Cooperation. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. 2019-01-01. 2020-09-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20200930045003/https://www.mfa.gov.af/deputy-minister-for-economic-cooperations/biography.html. dead.
  2. Web site: Afghanistan appoints first female permanent UN envoy. Shadi. Khan Saif. 31 December 2018. 1 January 2019. Anadolu Agency.
  3. Book: Diversifying Diplomacy: My Journey from Roxbury to Dakar. 172–177. Harriet Lee. Elam-Thomas. Jim. Robison. University of Nebraska Press. 2017. 9781612349503.
  4. Web site: Afghan Taliban attack in Kabul throws peace talks into further doubt. Mirwais. Harwooni. Hamid. Shalizi. Reuters. 25 June 2013. 1 January 2019.
  5. Web site: Hamid Karzai orders changes to draft law amid fears for Afghan women. The Guardian. 18 February 2014. 1 January 2019. Emma. Graham-Harrison.
  6. Web site: Adela Raz appointed deputy foreign minister for economic affairs. 19 March 2016. 1 January 2019. Khaama Press.
  7. Web site: Cutting Into Afghan Patronage: A Struggle to Make Government Younger. The New York Times. Mujib. Mashal. 9 January 2018. 1 January 2019.
  8. Web site: Adela Raz and The New Generation of Afghan Women Leaders Delegation. Sara. Mizener. The Initiative to Educate Afghan Women. 8 March 2018. 1 January 2019.
  9. Web site: Adela Raz new Afghan ambassador to UN. 31 December 2018. 1 January 2019. Pajhwok Afghan News.
  10. Web site: Govt Appoints New Representative To UN. Nabila. Ashrafi. 1 January 2019. 1 January 2019. TOLO News.
  11. Web site: Adela Raz becomes Afghanistan's first female envoy to UN. The Frontier Post. 31 December 2018. 1 January 2019. 30 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201030123137/https://thefrontierpost.com/adela-raz-becomes-afghanistans-first-female-envoy-to-un/. dead.
  12. Web site: UN picks Afghan envoy as VP of Palestinian committee. Umar. Farooq. 29 March 2019. 30 April 2019. Anadolu Agency.
  13. Afghan Embassy DC . Embassy of Afghanistan, Washington, D.C. . Embassy_of_AFG . 1419818599456329732 . 26 July 2021 . Today Amb. @AdelaRaz officially began her first day as Afg’s newly appointed Ambassador to the U.S. . 2 April 2022.
  14. News: Madina Morwat . 18 February 2022 . Afghan Ambassador to US to Step Down . . 19 February 2022.
  15. Web site: SPIA launches Afghanistan Policy Lab . 2022-12-08 . Princeton University . en.
  16. Web site: Swan . Jonathan . 2021-10-03 . Afghan ambassador: Biden doesn’t care about fate of Afghan girls . 2022-08-26 . Axios . en.