Global Friends of Afghanistan
2nd Annual Conference
Hosted at the Military Women's Memorial Arlington Cemetery VA
"Human Rights and Pathways to Afghanistan's Stability"
Save the Date:
1st-3rd October 2023
Conference Sponsors & Partners
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Conference Goal: Enable Afghans and their supporters to envision the future of Afghanistan while also developing innovative ways to deal with the ongoing human rights crisis and immigration challenges.
Objective 1: Support Afghan contributions to collaborative movements that, when unified and with international support, can negotiate for a free and peaceful Afghanistan.
Objective 2: Provide a venue for the voices of the emerging leaders of Afghanistan to be heard.
Objective 3: Identify innovative ways to deliver assistance and education, providing hope to those inside of Afghanistan.
Objective 4: Recommend creative ways to develop private-public partnerships between the resettlement agencies, civil society support groups, and governments at all levels, to improve pathways for migration and immigrant integration.
A veterans' event at MWM
Conference Master of Ceremonies: John Agoglia, GFA Dep. Director
Hosts: Jason Criss Howk, GFA Director and Phyllis Wilson, President of MWM
1 October 2023 - Exhibition and Conference Opening
1700-2030 Afghan Voices of Hope: Stories from an Emerging Generation of Women and Youth Leaders -- reception, panel discussion, readings, and exhibit
1700-1745 Exhibit opening. Live music from a duo.
1745-1750 Welcoming from the Military Women's Memorial– TBD
1750-1800 Opening & Agenda: Gaisu Yari (Voices of Hope), Jason Criss Howk
1800 -1805 Afghan Voices of Hope video: "How Are You Feeling?"
1805-1915 Panel: "How Are You?": Reflections from Afghan Voices of Hope Participants, Two Years Later
Moderator: Greg Myre- NPR National Security Correspondent
Panelists:
1.) Adil Jawadi- Afghan Military Female Tactical Platoon
2.) Mujib Mehrdad- Journalist & Poet
3.)Yalda Royan- Women's Rights Activist
4.) Maryam Rezaie- Student & Athlete
5.) Gaisu Yari- Human Rights Defender
1915-1930 Sharing of poems and passages
1930-1945 Keynote Speaker
1945- 2000 Closing Musical Performance
2000-2030 Reception Closing
2 October 2023
0800-0845 Conference Check-In John Agoglia/Conf Team
0845-0900 Plenary opening - A discussion of the current conditions In Afghanistan and the ongoing political situation by Jason Criss Howk, Director GFA, and Belquis Ahmadi, United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
0900-0950 Panel discussion on Innovative ways entrepreneurs can support the people of Afghanistan and provide hope.
Moderator: Jason Criss Howk, GFA Director
Panelists:
1.) Nasrat Khalid- CEO and Founder of ASEEL app https://aseelapp.com/do_good/
2.) Zala Ahmad- Co-Founder of Safe Path Prosperity https://www.safepathprosperity.org/
3.) Manizha Wafek- Former Head of the Afghan Women's Chamber of Commerce
4.) Tariq Ahmadzai- Help Built Tomorrow (HBT)
0950-1005 Break
1010-1100 Panel discussion on the status of Resettlement and Integration in the US and elsewhere; how businesses and Community-based organizations can continue to provide support and encouragement.
Moderator: John Agoglia
Panelists:
1.) Seyoum Berhe-Virginia State Refugee Coordinators Office
2.) Jason Lewis-Berry- Office of Refugee Resettlement Representative
3.) Nadin Amin- CEO Arg Global Afghanistan/American Business Leader
4.) Welcome.US Representative
5.) Sarah Cady- CEO REACT DC
1100-1110 Break
1115-1215 Panel Discussion on ongoing initiatives to galvanize Afghans to develop a viable political opposition voice.
Moderator: Annie Pforzheimer
1.) Aref Dostyar- University of Notre Dame Program Coordinator for Afghanistan Program on Peace and Development
2.) Hosna Jalil- Former Deputy in the Ministry of the Interior and Deputy in the Ministry of Women's Affairs
3.) Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili- Founding Director of the Center for Governance and Markets, Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh
4.) Dr. Sibghatullah Ghaznawi-Associate Research Scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
1215-1300 A reading and analysis of essays from the Ideas Shura and other essays already written by young people. (These same 6 questions will be the basis for the 3 Governance breakout groups. Click here to go to the Ideas Shura page https://www.globalfriendsofafghanistan.org/ideas-shura]
Moderators:
-A moderator will introduce the Ideas Shura
-An essay for each of the 6 questions will be read (either in person or by video) 30 minutes
-Summation of key points by an Afghan Student. 10 minutes
1300-1305 Breakout group instructions from John Agoglia
1305-1330 Lunch
1330-1630 Breakout groups/working lunch
Group A: Governance
Leaders: Aref Dostyar GFA and Hosna Jalil GFA
Ideas Shura Questions:
1. What is the most realistic and stable type of government for Afghanistan?
For example, should local officials be voted in by citizens or appointed
centrally?
2. What is the best understanding of "respect for human rights"; in the context
of Afghanistan?
Group B: Governance
Leaders: Jason Criss Howk GFA Director and Amb. Ashraf Haidari
Ideas Shura Questions:
3. What policies should Afghanistan choose with its neighbors and regional
powers, given Afghan resources and vulnerabilities?
4. What specific actions can UNAMA, or concerned countries, take in support
of marginalized social and political groups in Afghanistan?
Group C: Governance
Leaders: Zalmai Nishat- (Tony Blair Institute), and Yalda Royan
Ideas Shura Questions:
5. How can opposition groups in Afghanistan mobilize and collaborate to
present a unified alternative to the Taliban?
6. What is the future role of the Taliban in Afghanistan?
Group D: Innovative ways entrepreneurs can support the people in Afghanistan and provide hope.
Leaders: Oct 2nd: Nazila Jamshadi and Oct 3rd: Naheed Sarabi
Group E: Partnering to better support immigrant resettlement and integration into society
Leaders: Mariah Smith (No One Left Behind) and John Agoglia GFA
1630-1700 Day 1 closeout activity
Guest Speaker (women’s/human rights focus) TBD
Introduction: TBD
1700- 2000 Reception and Concert
1700-1930 Reception John Agoglia
1800-2000 Concert Jason Criss Howk
3 October 2023
0800-0830 Arrival and Instructions John Agoglia
1000-1205 Breakout groups wrap up and prep brief out.
-Breakout group's briefs. (Each group briefs out 15mins/Q&A 10mins)
1210-1240 Feedback on brief-outs
Moderator- Jason Criss Howk
Panelists:
1.) Ambassador Ronald Neumann
2.) Dr Bashir Mobasher, PhD, American University
3.) Belquis Ahmadi, USIP
4.) Malalai Habibi
1240-1300 Conference Closing comments- TBD
1300-1400 Networking Lunch
1330-1630 Storytelling workshop for 30 selected individuals -TBD
1630-1700 Closeout of Storytelling workshop
Connecting Afghans with the world
Full Details
1 October 2023
Exhibition and Conference Opening
1700-2030 Afghan Voices of Hope: Stories from an Emerging Generation of Women and Youth Leaders -- reception, panel discussion, readings, and exhibit
1700-1745 Exhibit opening. Live music from a duo.
1745-1750 Welcoming from the Military Women's Memorial President– TBD
1750-1800 Opening & Agenda: Gaisu Yari (Voices of Hope), Jason Criss Howk
1800 -1805 Afghan Voices of Hope video: "How Are You Feeling?"
1805-1915 Panel: "How Are You?": Reflections from Afghan Voices of Hope Participants, Two Years Later
Moderator: Greg Myre-NPR National Security Correspondent
Panelists:
1.) Adil Jawadi- Afghan Military Female Tactical Platoon
2.) Mujib Mehrdad -Journalist & Poet
3.)Yalda Royan -Women's Rights Activist
4.) Maryam Rezaie -Student & Athlete
5.) Gaisu Yari -Human Rights Defender
1915-1930 Sharing of poems and passages
1930-1945 Keynote Speaker
1945- 2000 Closing Musical Performance
2000-2030 Reception Closing
Speakers:
Phyllis Wilson- Military Women's Memorial President- served 37 years in the Army as a Military Intelligence (MI) Voice Intercept Operator. She has served around the globe – visiting more than 35 countries – in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and North America.
She has been mobilized numerous times to shoulder the duties of defense of the nation and has deployed to Iraq several times as an Intelligence Analyst with Special Operations.
Chief Warrant Officer Five Phyllis J. Wilson served as the most senior Warrant Officer in the entire United States Army Reserve, and a key member of the Executive Team managing an organization of more than 200,000 personnel with an annual operating budget of more than $8 Billion.
She was a Senior Military Fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group focused on Global issues 2050 and beyond.
Phyllis is a Registered Nurse and holds two Master’s degrees, two Bachelor of Science degrees, and a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University. She attended the Defense Language Institute for both German and Spanish. She is a graduate of the Program in Advanced Security Studies at the George C. Marshall Center and School in Garmisch, Germany. She has received numerous military decorations and awards ranging from the Legion of Merit to the Army Parachutist Badge. She has been inducted into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame and the U.S. Veterans Hall of Fame.
She is President of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation – the only major national memorial honoring the 3 Million women who have defended America from the Revolutionary War to today. The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has appointed her to the Reserve Forces Policy Board. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Policy Vets and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). She is also a Senior Fellow at AUSA. Phyllis serves as an Army Reserve Ambassador for Maryland which is afforded the rights, privileges, and protocol status equivalent to that of a 2-Star General Officer.
Phyllis is a member of The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Order of the World Wars, Association of the United States Army, Association of the United States Navy, Women Marines Association, Reserve Organization of America, Military Women Across the Nation, Army Women Veterans Association, Military Officers Association of America, Disabled American Veterans, Air Force Association, U.S. Army Warrant
Officers Association, the Mayflower Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, National Defense Industrial Association, and Women In Defense.
Professor Jason Criss Howk – Global Friends of Afghanistan Co-Founder and Director; award-winning writer: U.S. War Options in Afghanistan; The Qur’an: A Modern Chronological Interpretation; A Case Study in SSR: SSR in Afghanistan; Ali’s American Dream: An Iraqi Refugee’s Story of Survival and Triumph; Leaders Always Go A Little Further…Unless They Trip. Master of Arts in South Asia and Middle East Security Studies, Naval Postgraduate School. Malone Fellow in Arab and Islamic Studies, and was a Term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He studied Arabic and Dari at DLI, and has focused on Afghanistan topics and engagement since 2002. He is a retired U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer, and a professor at the USAF Special Operations School, he also lectures at various institutes.
Gaisu Yari is a human rights defender and a former commissioner in the Civil Service of Afghanistan. She holds a master’s degree in human rights from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern studies and gender studies from the University of Virginia. Gaisu is leading this project and traveling around the world to speak with Afghans in exile. She is also an advocate and public speaker for gender justice. As an activist, Gaisu has addressed conferences, individual organizations, and the media on the subject of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Greg Myre is a national security correspondent with a focus on the intelligence community, a position that follows his many years as a foreign correspondent covering conflicts around the globe.
He was previously the international editor for NPR.org, working closely with NPR correspondents abroad and national security reporters in Washington. He remains a frequent contributor to the NPR website on global affairs. He also worked as a senior editor at Morning Edition from 2008-2011. Before joining NPR, Myre was a foreign correspondent for 20 years with The New York Times and The Associated Press.
Myre is a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington and has appeared as an analyst on CNN, PBS, BBC, C-SPAN, Fox, Al Jazeera and other networks. He's a graduate of Yale University, where he played football and basketball.
Mujib Mehrdad (poet, playwright, translator; from Afghanistan) is the author of the poetry collections Gladiators Are Still Dying(2007; winner of the Afghan Civil Society’s literature contest), The Fishes Have Fled Our Veins(2008), and Audience(2009), and of the collection of essays The Rain Passed. He has translated Ginsberg, Plath, Langston Hughes, Mayakovsky, Tagore, and others, into Dari. He is a board member of the literary organization Kashane Nawesendagan (House of Authors) and teaches Persian literature at Albironi University in Kapisa, Province north of Kabul, Afghanistan. His participation in the University of Iowa’s International Writers Resident program is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Yalda Royan is an Afghan women’s rights activist and senior development professional with extensive leadership experience in national and international NGOs. She has spearheaded women’s rights initiatives in Afghanistan where she sought to advance women’s political, economic and social participation. When she was evacuated to the United States in August 2021, she was working as a consultant for the World Bank to respond to issues of gender-based violence in the public health sector. Currently, she works at the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NOVA Community College and is the Afghanistan Country Team Lead for VOICE Amplified. She is also a founding member of the Afghan Women’s Advocacy Group. Ms. Royan recently published an op-ed in Newsweek following the Taliban's backtracking on promises of girls' education. She has vast expertise in designing and leading gender initiatives across women’s empowerment, gender-based violence, conflict resolution, and peace and security, and holds a master's degree in gender and women's studies from Kabul University. Yalda is a Global Friends of Afghanistan fellow.
Connecting Afghans with the world
2 October 2023
0800-0845 Conference Check-In John Agoglia/Conf Team
0845-0900 Plenary opening - A discussion of the current conditions In Afghanistan and the ongoing political situation by Jason Criss Howk, Director GFA, and Belquis Ahmadi, United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
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Belquis Ahmadi has over 20 years of experience working in Afghanistan on issues related to gender, human rights, civil society development, rule of law, governance and democracy. Ahmadi’s extensive experience includes senior management positions under large USAID programs in Afghanistan, evaluation of USAID gender and democracy and governance programming, and analysis and design of gender and human rights programming, and training and mentoring Afghan civil society and government candidates. She has also published extensively on democracy, governance and women’s rights in Afghanistan.
From November 2010 to March 2014, Ahmadi worked on the USAID-funded Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations Regional Command East (RAMP UP), implemented in 14 provinces. In this role, Ahmadi managed the technical work of the program to ensure high quality results and deliverables. In addition, she developed core skills training modules to integrate and mainstream gender in all aspects of governance, service delivery, and leadership to over 200 municipal officials in fourteen provinces.
From 2006 to 2009, Ahmadi served as senior human rights advisor in Afghanistan. In this role, she provided leadership and management oversight of resources, including budget, planning, and program monitoring; designed and implemented activities promoting women’s rights through the use of religious arguments, providing analysis of the Shiite Personal Status Law, as well as providing advice and guidance in drafting of the Law on Elimination of Violence Against Women; and oversaw the preparation of training materials for programs.
From 2000 to 2004, Ahmadi served as program coordinator for Global Rights Partners for Justice in Washington D.C., managing their Afghanistan program. From 1987 to 1999, Ahmadi worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross, CARE International, and the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) in Afghanistan. Ahmadi earned her LLM in International Human Rights Law from Georgetown University Law Center and her LLB of Law from Kabul University.
0900-0950 Panel discussion on Innovative ways entrepreneurs can support the people of Afghanistan and provide hope.
Moderator: Jason Criss Howk, GFA Director
Panelists:
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Nasrat Khalid- CEO and Founder of ASEEL app https://aseelapp.com/do_good/
Nasrat has global experience targeting and finding potential in people, organisations and governments to work better, more efficiently. Through better strategies and putting technology as the core of the solution; Nasrat has been able to initiate causes, organisations and teams that have transformed and accelerated the development of different sectors.
He specializes in Computer Networks, System Development, Technology for Development, IT management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Nasrat has established four organisations including ITRCA and is recognized by the G20, World Bank, ICANN, UNIGF and the Government of Afghanistan. He has Presented in global forums, round table discussions, conferences and is a TEDx speaker.
Zala Ahmad- Co-Founder of Safe Path Prosperity https://www.safepathprosperity.org/
Zala is the founder of Humanitarian Organization for Local Development (HOLD), an Afghan NGO, has over 15 years of experience working in the field of international development, with a focus on education, human rights, and economic development.
In 2021 Zala co-founded Safe Path Prosperity, a social enterprise in Afghanistan, employing women in Kabul to sustainably produce washable menstrual hygiene products and educational materials for local distribution. Zala has operated in some of the most remote and precarious areas of rural Afghanistan. Zala earned a M.A. in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University. She is a Research Associate in the Department of Geography at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Manizha Wafek- is the co-founder and former-Head of the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI). She served as the CEO of the AWCCI for five years. Manizha Wafeq has 20 years of experience in development and for 16 years has been focused on women’s empowerment and gender equality working with international, government, and non-governmental organizations. She has an MBA from the American University of Afghanistan. Her persistent and influential lobbying skills resulted in several policy recommendations being incorporated and approved. Among them were the 5 percent preference clause in the national procurement procedure of the government and for 15 to 25 percent of industrial parks to be allocated to small, medium, and women-owned businesses in the national industrial park’s policy.
She has been teaching in PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® program for 16 years at the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women. As country facilitator of this program, she has taught and mentored nearly 600 Afghan businesswomen from Kabul and more than 17 provinces.
She has co-authored a training manual on business start-ups and a “Gender and the Legal Framework of Afghanistan” training manual. She is also the founder of the Bibi Khadija Award, an annual award honoring successful businesswomen and role models in Afghanistan. The award is named after the Prophet Mohammad’s wife who was the first Muslim woman trader.
She is the Winner of several awards such as the Enterprising Women Magazine Award from the United States, Leadership Award from the National Business Association of the US, and Young Activist Award from the Afghan Women’s Network and the Afghan Lower House of the Parliament.
Tariq Ahmadzai- Help Built Tomorrow (HBT) was born in Afghanistan and lived in Pakistan until the age 18. He would move to the UK to complete his undergraduate studies. Additionally, his love for education and knowledge would take him to the U.S to pursue his post-grad studies. Subsequently, Tariq completed his first master’s degree in project management and a second master’s degree in International Development from the School of International Service at American University in Washington DC.
Tariq established HBT in 2016, alongside twenty other Afghan American professionals in the DC metro area, with two goals in mind; he believes no child should go through hardship and every child deserves to be educated in a safe environment. Tariq’s passion for Afghan Children’s education stems from his childhood in a Pakistan refugee camp and the distress he endured during his childhood. He is passionate about ensuring every Afghan child receives an education and is able to contribute towards Afghanistan’s social, economic, and political development.
In addition to his passion for educating every Afghan child, he believes that charitable organizations should spend the entirety of the funds collected from individual and organization donors on beneficiaries instead of administrative and other overhead costs.
Further, Tariq also coordinated emergency response services beginning in 2016. However, after the fall of the government, HBT has drastically accelerated emergency response services to meet the dire circumstances of the Afghan population, particularly vulnerable children and women.
Tariq currently serves as the director and CEO overseeing US and Afghanistan operations for HBT. He provides strategic guidance for growth in coordination with the rest of the team to ensure the goals, directives, and strategic communications are met and satisfactory to the stated policies of HBT.
0950-1005 Break
1010-1100 Panel discussion on the status of Resettlement and Integration in the US and elsewhere; how businesses and Community-based organizations can continue to provide support and encouragement.
Moderator: John Agoglia
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Panelists:
1.) Seyoum Berhe-Virginia State Refugee Coordinators Office
2.) Jason Lewis-Berry- Office of Refugee Resettlement Representative
3.) Nadin Amin- CEO Arg Global Afghanistan/American Business Leader
4.) Welcome.US Representative
5.) Sarah Cady- CEO REACT DC
1100-1110 Break
1115-1215 Panel Discussion on ongoing initiatives to galvanize Afghans to develop a viable political opposition voice.
Moderator: Annie Pforzheimer
Panelists:
Aref Dostyar- University of Notre Dame Program Coordinator for Afghanistan Program on Peace and Development.
Aref Dostyar is an Advisor and Program Leader for the Afghanistan Program for Peace and Development (AfPAD) at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. In this role, he collaborates with Notre Dame faculty and staff from various programs and institutes to create and support initiatives to amplify Afghan voices for an inclusive and peaceful Afghanistan.
Previously, Dostyar worked as Afghanistan’s Consul General in Los Angeles from 2020 until the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. Prior to that, he served at Afghanistan's Office of the National Security Council in the positions of Director General for International Relations and Director of Peace and Reconciliation Affairs. In these leadership positions, he provided regular policy insight to the Leadership of Afghanistan, served as liaison to global foreign policy directors, and authored several strategic documents including the National Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism, which led to the teaching of peaceful cohabitation in mosques and schools across the country.
Dostyar’s writings and interviews can be found in the New York Times, the BBC, the Foreign Policy Magazine, and several other publications.
More information about Dostyar’s recent work including policy briefs, public policy forums, and Track II dialogue initiatives can be accessed via AfPAD’s resources webpage. He tweets from @ArefDostyar.
Hosna Jalil- Former Deputy in the Ministry of the Interior and Deputy in the Ministry of Women's Affairs
Hosna Jalil's journey has been closely intertwined with Afghanistan's progress over the past two decades. Educated and established her career during the democratic republic, she later devoted herself to fostering development and stability in her country. As the former Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs, Hosna exemplifies an unwavering commitment to promoting gender equality, advancing women's participation in peace and security, and creating a nurturing environment for women. Her role as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Interior Affairs further showcases her efforts in spearheading security sector reforms, advocating for the protection of human rights through policies, and empowering women to play active roles in the security sector. In her previous position at the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum as the director for policy and research, she played a vital role in combating illegal mining and safeguarding mining sites.
Hosna's influence transcends national borders, as she contributed her expertise as an Advisory Board Member for the UN Office on Drugs & Crime, working diligently to combat trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Currently, she is actively co-authoring a book for NATO, focusing on the crucial role of stability policing in conflict zones, underscoring her commitment to global peace and security
In addition to her impactful international contributions, Hosna is a Chapter Contributor in the empowering book "We Are Still Here: Afghan Women on Courage, Freedom, and the Fight to Be Heard," using her voice to advocate for Afghan women's rights on a global platform. As a respected Munich Young Leaders alumnus, she continues to inspire and empower emerging leaders.
Throughout her illustrious career, Hosna has demonstrated remarkable leadership in the realms of women's empowerment, human rights, and security. Her unwavering dedication to creating a secure and nurturing environment for women and driving positive change in Afghanistan is a testament to her extraordinary vision and commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive society.
Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili- Founding Director of the Center for Governance and Markets, Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili was a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. She is an expert on political economy, foreign policy, and the challenges of building effective governance, with a focus on Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Murtazashvili is also the director of the Center for Governance and Markets and an associate professor of public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the elected president of the Central Eurasian Studies Society. Murtazashvili is the author of Informal Order and the State in Afghanistan (Cambridge University Press, 2016), Land, The State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan (Cambridge University Press, 2021), and dozens of scholarly articles and book chapters. Murtazashvili has extensive experience in the policy world, having served with the United States Agency for International Development in Uzbekistan and an advisor to the World Bank, the US Department of Defense, the United Nations Development Programme, and many others. Murtazashvili has conducted field research and numerous surveys throughout Central Asia and Afghanistan over the past twenty years.
Murtazashvili has a PhD in political science and an MA in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a BSFS from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Sibghatullah Ghaznawi is an Associate Research Scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies focusing on political stability in post conflict settings. He has extensive field experience of designing, implementing and coordinating projects and programs for political stability through strengthening sub-national and community governance institutions. Prior to this, he was deputy minister of municipalities in the Independent Director of Local Governance of Afghanistan. His current research interests are to examine and question the existing theoretical basis of post conflict political stability interventions. He wants to develop models of political stability that are acceptable for the stakeholders of a conflict with a clear focus on protecting basic human rights, specifically of women, minorities and marginalized groups.
1215-1300 A reading and analysis of essays from the Ideas Shura and other essays already written by young people. (These same 6 questions will be the basis for the 3 Governance breakout groups. Click here to go to the Ideas Shura page https://www.globalfriendsofafghanistan.org/ideas-shura]
Moderators: TBD
-A moderator will introduce the Ideas Shura
-An essay for each of the 6 questions will be read (either in person or by video) 30 minutes
-Summation of key points by an Afghan Student. 10 minutes
1300-1305 Breakout group instructions from John Agoglia
1305-1330 Lunch
1330-1630 Breakout groups/working lunch
Breakout Groups
Group A: Governance
Leaders: Aref Dostyar GFA and Hosna Jalil GFA
Ideas Shura Questions:
1. What is the most realistic and stable type of government for Afghanistan?
For example, should local officials be voted in by citizens or appointed
centrally?
2. What is the best understanding of "respect for human rights"; in the context
of Afghanistan?
Group B: Governance
Leaders: Jason Howk GFA Director and Amb. Ashraf Haidari GFA
Ideas Shura Questions:
3. What policies should Afghanistan choose with its neighbors and regional
powers, given Afghan resources and vulnerabilities?
4. What specific actions can UNAMA, or concerned countries, take in support
of marginalized social and political groups in Afghanistan?
Group C: Governance
Leaders: Zalmai Nishat- (Tony Blair Institute), and Yalda Royan
Ideas Shura Questions:
5. How can opposition groups in Afghanistan mobilize and collaborate to
present a unified alternative to the Taliban?
6. What is the future role of the Taliban in Afghanistan?
Group D: Innovative ways entrepreneurs can support the people in Afghanistan and provide hope.
Leaders: Oct 2nd: Nazila Jamshadi and Oct 3rd: Naheed Sarabi
Group E: Partnering to better support immigrant resettlement and integration into society
Leaders: Mariah Smith (No One Left Behind) and John Agoglia GFA
1630-1700 Day 2 closeout activity
Guest Speaker (women’s/human rights focus) TBD
Introduction: TBD
1700- 2000 Reception and Concert
1700-1930 Reception John Agoglia
1800-2000 Concert Jason Criss Howk
Connecting Afghans with the world
3 October 2023
0800-0830 Arrival and Instructions John Agoglia
1000-1205 Breakout groups wrap up and prep brief out.
-Breakout group's briefs. (Each group briefs out 15mins/Q&A 10mins)
1210-1240 Feedback on brief-outs
Moderator- Jason Criss Howk
Panelists:
Ambassador Ronald Neumann- President, American Academy of Diplomacy
Formerly a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Ronald E. Neumann served three times as Ambassador; to Algeria, Bahrain and finally to Afghanistan from July 2005 to April 2007. Before Afghanistan, Mr. Neumann, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, served in Baghdad from February 2004 with the Coalition Provisional Authority and then as Embassy Baghdad’s liaison with the Multinational Command, where he was deeply involved in coordinating the political part of military actions.
Prior to working in Iraq, he was Ambassador in Manama, Bahrain (2001-2004), Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near East Affairs (1997-2000) with responsibility for North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and Ambassador to Algeria (1994 to 1997). He was Director of the Office of Northern Gulf Affairs (Iran and Iraq; 1991 to 1994). Earlier in his career, he was Deputy Chief of Mission in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and in Sanaa in Yemen, Principal Officer in Tabriz, Iran and Economic/Commercial Officer in Dakar, Senegal. His previous Washington assignments include service as Jordan Desk officer, Staff Assistant in the Middle East (NEA) Bureau, and Political Officer in the Office of Southern European Affairs.
Ambassador Neumann is the author of a memoir, Three Embassies, Four Wars: a personal memoir (2017) and The Other War: Winning and Losing in Afghanistan (Potomac Press, 2009), a book on his time in Afghanistan. He has returned to Afghanistan repeatedly and is the author of a number of monographs, articles, and editorials. His writings have focused most heavily on Afghanistan, stabilization, and Bahrain. At the Academy he has focused particularly on efforts to maintain adequate State and USAID budgets and staffing and upgrade professional formation to enable these institutions to carry out their responsibilities. Ambassador Neumann is on the Advisory Board of a non-profit girls’ school in Afghanistan, the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA) and the Advisory Board of Spirit of America. He is on the board of the Middle East Policy Council and the Advisory Council of the World Affairs Councils of America.
Ambassador Neumann speaks some Arabic and Dari as well as French. He received State Department Superior Honor Awards in 1993 and 1990. He was an Army infantry officer in Viet Nam and holds a Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge. In Baghdad, he was awarded the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal. He earned a B.A. in history and an M.A. in political science from the University of California at Riverside and is a graduate of the National War College.
Dr Bashir Mobasher, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow at the American University’s Department of Sociology. Before the fall of Kabul, he was an assistant professor of political science, an adjunct faculty of law, a legal consultant, and an author. He has had affiliations with the American University of Afghanistan, Western Washington University, Max Planck Institute of International Peace and the Rule of Law, and International IDEA. Earlier, he worked with the USAID’s rule of law project and INL’s legal education reform project. Dr. Bashir is an expert in constitutional law and electoral designs in divided societies. He has authored, reviewed, and supervised numerous research projects on constitutional law, electoral systems, peace and transition, and identity politics. His recent research projects are centered around Islam and constitutionalism, the voting rights of the displaced population, political decentralization, criminal justice and minorities, and divided legal systems. Bashir obtained his B.A. (2007) from the School of Law and Political Science at Kabul University and his LLM (2010) and Ph.D. (2017) from the University of Washington School of Law.
Belquis Ahmadi has over 20 years of experience working in Afghanistan on issues related to gender, human rights, civil society development, rule of law, governance and democracy. Ahmadi’s extensive experience includes senior management positions under large USAID programs in Afghanistan, evaluation of USAID gender and democracy and governance programming, and analysis and design of gender and human rights programming, and training and mentoring Afghan civil society and government candidates. She has also published extensively on democracy, governance and women’s rights in Afghanistan.
From November 2010 to March 2014, Ahmadi worked on the USAID-funded Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations Regional Command East (RAMP UP), implemented in 14 provinces. In this role, Ahmadi managed the technical work of the program to ensure high quality results and deliverables. In addition, she developed core skills training modules to integrate and mainstream gender in all aspects of governance, service delivery, and leadership to over 200 municipal officials in fourteen provinces.
From 2006 to 2009, Ahmadi served as senior human rights advisor in Afghanistan. In this role, she provided leadership and management oversight of resources, including budget, planning, and program monitoring; designed and implemented activities promoting women’s rights through the use of religious arguments, providing analysis of the Shiite Personal Status Law, as well as providing advice and guidance in drafting of the Law on Elimination of Violence Against Women; and oversaw the preparation of training materials for programs.
From 2000 to 2004, Ahmadi served as program coordinator for Global Rights Partners for Justice in Washington D.C., managing their Afghanistan program. From 1987 to 1999, Ahmadi worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross, CARE International, and the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) in Afghanistan. Ahmadi earned her LLM in International Human Rights Law from Georgetown University Law Center and her LLB of Law from Kabul University.
Malalai Habibi lived in Iran for more than 18 years and was an undocumented Afghan refugee for most of these years. After completing her secondary education through independent study, she entered university and earned a BA in graphic design from Shariati Technical University in Iran. Focusing on women’s empowerment and children’s education, she volunteered for several nongovernmental organizations in Iran, including the Tehran Peace Museum. She recently returned to Afghanistan to work as a peacebuilding facilitator. As a master of global affairs student, Malalai was the recipient of a Kroc Institute Fellowship.
1240-1300 Conference Closing comments- TBD
1300-1400 Networking Lunch
1330-1630 Storytelling workshop for 30 selected individuals -TBD
1630-1700 Closeout of Storytelling workshop
The storytelling workshop is led by Scott Mann and The Heroes Journey team. It is sponsored by the Moral Compass Federation.
Details of their work can be found on the following link: https://theheroesjourney.org
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