Afghanistan's Ambassador to the UK: Peace and Reconciliation with the Taliban? - Said T Jawad

Speaker: Said T Jawad

Chair: Dr Christine Cheng

In the 18th year since the fall of the brutal Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the country has made significant democratic and social gains, aligned itself closer to the international community and adopted MDGs and SDGs into the national development strategy. Yet obstacles remain. The Taliban’s violent insurgency has disrupted economic and social development, and left mental and physical scars throughout the country which will take considerable time to heal. Nevertheless, Afghans’ yearning for peace remains unyielding. This was overwhelmingly demonstrated by the historic 2018 Eid ceasefire, a precious moment of unity embraced by civilians and Taliban foot soldiers alike. The Taliban’s continued attack on innocent civilians presents a significant obstacle for peace talks. As the dialogue resumes and negotiations regain momentum, it is expected that Taliban violence will increase in response. While a complete cessation of violence is desired, the peace process in Afghanistan is complicated by proxy war, regional rivalries and gradual absence of unified and focused international policy and reduction of resources.

Said T. Jawad is the Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He has previously served as Chief of Staff to the President of Afghanistan (2001 to 2003), Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia and Argentina (2003-2010), the Senior Political and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chief Executive of Afghanistan (2015-2017), the Chief Executive Officer of Capitalize LLC, a global strategic advisory firm headquartered in Washington, DC (2010-2017), the Chairman of the Foundation for Afghanistan (2004-2014); and as a Global Political Strategist and Senior Counselor at APCO Worldwide (2010-2017).