Amb. Adela Raz was the first female permanent representative and ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations (U.N.). At the U.N., Amb. Raz was the vice president of the 75th session of the General Assembly, and she was also appointed by the president of the General Assembly to serve as the General Assembly’s co-coordinator on COVID-19-related initiatives.

Prior to her U.N. appointment, Amb. Raz was the deputy minister for economic cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among other bilateral and multilateral responsibilities, she contributed and led efforts in the two major Afghanistan-centered regional cooperation platforms: the Regional Economic Cooperation Conferences on Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process, as well as the Brussels (2016) and Geneva (2018) Donor Conferences on Afghanistan.

In 2013, she served as the first female deputy spokesperson and director of communications for President Hamid Karzai.

She began her career with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and continued to work in a variety of positions at international development organizations in the U.S. and Afghanistan.

Amb. Raz holds a master's degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She holds a bachelor's degree with honors, triple majoring in: international relations, political science, and economics, from Simmons University in Boston. She also earned a certificate in international development from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.