Ep 53. Adela Raz, Former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the U.S. & U.N. - Keeping hope alive for Afghan women and girls

About this episode

Adela Raz shares her personal story and advocacy for Afghan women and girls following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan.

In August 2021, the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan after nearly 20 years, toppling the then democratic government in a matter of days. Adela Raz, was serving as Afghanistan's Ambassador to the U.S., after having been the country's first female Permanent Representative to the U.N. She suddenly found herself representing a government that no longer existed. Adela refused to recognise the Taliban's authority and became an outspoken critic of their oppression of women and girls. As Afghan women were systematically stripped of their rights - banned from school, erased from public life, and essentially silenced - Adela became a fierce advocate against this gender apartheid, demanding action from the international community. Today, she leads Princeton's Afghanistan Policy Lab, working to keep Afghanistan's future on the world's agenda. This is Adela's personal story, and of her continued fight to champion the rights of women and girls. Recorded February 2025.

People in this episode

Host: Dhivya O'Connor

Guest: Adela Raz

Topics covered

• Afghan women's rights
• Taliban takeover
• gender apartheid
• international advocacy
• personal stories
• political representation

Keywords

• Afghanistan
• women's rights
• Taliban
• Adela Raz
• advocacy
• gender equality
• international community
• U.N.
• politics
• personal story

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Princeton's Afghanistan Policy Lab

Places: Afghanistan, U.S., U.N.

More episodes of The Charity CEO Podcast

• Bonus: Anthropy26 with Rosie Jones, Founder, The Rosie Jones Foundation and Kim Samuel, Founder, The Belonging Forum - Who Gets to Belong? · June 1, 2026 · 54 min
• Ep 57. Thelma Ekiyor, Global CEO Women for Women International: Investing in the Power of Women · May 4, 2026 · 53 min
• Ep 56. Anne Fox, CEO Clinks, and Ruth Armstrong, Director Justice Matters: Re-imagining Criminal Justice · March 2, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Ep 55. Hayley Roffey & John Hecklinger, Co-CEOs Global Fund for Children: Young People as Agents of Change · January 5, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Ep 54. Sarah Elliott, CEO Shelter: Fighting for home · December 1, 2025 · 47 min
• Ep 52. Kathy Evans and Rosie Ferguson, former CEOs of Children England and House of St Barnabas: A conversation on charity closure and lasting impact · March 3, 2025 · 1h 2m