Afghanistan appoints first female permanent UN envoy

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghanistan appointed Monday its first ever female permanent representative to the UN a month after the first-ever female ambassador was assigned in the Washington D.C., signifying a drastic change in foreign policy of the country.

Adela Raz, deputy foreign minister for economic cooperation, has been appointed as the new Afghan permanent representative at the UN by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani who last month appointed another female diplomat, Roya Rahmani, as the country's ambassador to the U.S.

Raz holds MA degree in Law and Diplomacy with a focus on Economic Development from the Fletcher School/Tufts University and a BA with honors with triple majors in International Relations, Political Science, and Economics from Simmons College in Boston, USA, according to her biography posted on the website of the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

In a series of tweets, the young diplomat has vowed to efficiently represent the country at this global platform.

"It is a new Afghanistan when we, the younger generation, stand together to preserve our achievements and work for the betterment of this country."