The Afghanistan Policy Lab (APL) and the Central Asia Institute (CAI) co-host a webinar on the situation in Afghanistan, with a focus on the situation of women and girls. This 60-minute webinar will share information on the four years since the Taliban retook control, with a focus on the disproportionate impacts on Afghan women and girls. The aim of the event is to educate a bipartisan audience on CAI’s ongoing education programs and provide a broader understanding of the struggle for Afghan women’s rights both inside and outside of the country.
The webinar’s guest speaker is Ambassador Adela Raz, Director of the Afghanistan Policy Lab (APL), and will be moderated by Alice Thomas, Director of the Central Asia Institute.
CAI’s Executive Director will provide a brief update on CAI’s current education and livelihood programs in Afghanistan. She will touch on how the organization and its local partners have adapted over time to the new reality despite the severe restrictions on Afghan women’s rights to education and work.
This will be followed by a discussion with Ambassador Raz on the challenges Afghan women and girls face, both inside and outside the country, and the work of the Afghanistan Policy Lab to provide policy recommendations to the international community and the U.S. towards an inclusive, prosperous future vision for the country. The Ambassador will give her perspective on U.S. policy towards Afghanistan, why the American public should stay engaged, and what ordinary Americans can do to support Afghans at home and abroad.
The primary audience for the event is CAI’s donors from all over the United States, who are generally laypeople or, more specifically, Americans who care about Afghanistan. They support Central Asia Institute because they care deeply about the mission. The secondary audience for the event is people who are interested in learning more, including members of the Princeton SPIA / Afghan Policy Lab community.
Speakers
is a prominent leader in international affairs. She served as the last Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States, representing her country during a period of profound transition.
Previously, she was Afghanistan’s first female Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, where she played a global leadership role. She served as Vice President of the 75th UN General Assembly and was appointed by its President to co-coordinate COVID-19-related initiatives, helping shape the international response to the pandemic.
Before her U.N. appointment, Ambassador Raz was Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, leading regional and economic cooperation portfolios. She spearheaded initiatives such as the Regional Economic Cooperation Conferences on Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia–Istanbul Process. She also led Afghanistan’s negotiations for the Brussels (2016) and Geneva (2018) Donor Conferences, securing crucial international development commitments.
In 2013, she became the first woman to serve as Deputy Spokesperson and Director of Communications for President Hamid Karzai.
Ambassador Raz began her career with the United Nations and worked with various international development organizations in both the United States and Afghanistan.
She holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Simmons University, with concentrations in International Relations, Political Science, and Economics. She also holds a certificate in International Development from the Fletcher School.
is the Executive Director of Central Asia Institute. An attorney by training and a passionate champion of social justice and gender rights, Alice brings over two decades of experience working in international development and human rights. From responding to refugee crises in conflict-ridden countries to tackling pressing global challenges such as poverty, education, poor governance, and climate change, Alice has dedicated her professional life to advocating on behalf of marginalized and disenfranchised populations.
Sponsorship of an event does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.