Building Peace and Connectivity through Research and Dialogue
ehsan_zia

Mohammad Ehsan Zia

 

Education MA, Post War Recovery Studies, University of York, UK, 2000
Years of Experience 35
Citizenship Afghanistan
Languages English, Dari, Pashto, Urdu, Turkish

Professional Summary

Career professional in peacebuilding, governance, rural development and post-conflict reconstruction, researcher with in-depth knowledge of development theory, policymaking, and practice.

As Country Director of United States Institute of Peace in Afghanistan Mr, Zia is engaged in bottom-up and top-down peace building in support of the ongoing Intra Afghan Peace Negotiation. As a former Minister of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development he provided strategic guidance and oversight to high-performing governmental institution with thousands of staff and $500 million plus annual budget portfolio. Minister Zia is the pioneer of peace – building, conflict resolution and `do no harm` in Afghanistan.  He co-founded and served as chairperson for the Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU) through which he developed local capacities for peace, supported peace education and developed the capacities of development organizations on the analytical framework of do no harm.  He has authored several articles and papers on peacebuilding. He was awarded by the President of Colombia for “innovation in international development practice” the design and implementation of the National Solidarity Program.  He was also recognized by Citizens Councils and Provincial Shuras of several provinces in Afghanistan for high performance.