Wahidullah Waissi

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Afghanistan as a landlocked country needs more diversified transit policy. Alternative routes and corridors are always helpful for the domestic economy as well as regional connectivity. This was the biggest motivation for Waissi to initiate an alternative transit route, later called the Lapis Lazuli Transit and Transport Route. His ideas was accepted by Jawed Ludin, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and later by Zarar Ahmad Osmani, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan. Waissi was being appointed immediately by Minister Osmani to follow with the concerned counties and coordinate to become a party to this initiative. Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia immediately joined and Turkey was the last country to become as a party to this initiative. In early 2014 Waissi and a team of experts from the Afghan Government started the negotiation from Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. Waissi was leading the negotiation for the agreement on behalf of the Afghan Government.

The Lapis Lazuli corridor was opened for business in December 2018.

Multilateralism & Multilateral Diplomacy

Working for the Afghanistan's Aid Coordination Authority (AACA) in 2003, Waissi's main work focuses were on multilateral cooperation. He was appointed as Aid Coordination Officer at the Ministry of Finance when the AACA moved to this ministry and his areas of focus were on International Financial Institutions (IFIs) i.e. the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Commission (EC) between years 2003 and 2004. In early 2004, Waissi was manager for a newly established department focusing on IFI's portfolio monitoring.

Later in 2012, as Director-General for Economic Cooperation, Waissi was mainly working on multilateral diplomatic activities throughout Afghanistan's Foreign Policy principles. Waissi represented the Afghan Government at the United Nation's General Assembly debates on G7+, G77, Land-Locked Development Countries (LLDC), Least-Development Countries (LDC), special events on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and many other events in years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Sustainable Development Goals

Waissi has initiated the Sustainable Development Goals & Green Economy Desk at the department of economic cooperation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to promote and increase focus on Afghanistan's green diplomacy at the regional and international level. This has enabled more cooperation between Afghanistan and its partners when Afghanistan's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are developed.

Waissi participate at the Rio+20 of United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20–22 June 2012 as part of the Afghan delegation. The Government of Afghanistan has presented its position paper in support of the SDGs.

In 2013 and 2014, Waissi and his team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have inaugurated a first series of consultations on SDGs and adopting the goals to national level policies and plans. The first review of SDGs for Afghanistan has been developed in 2014 and submitted to the United Nations. The Government of Afghanistan endorsed the SDGs and presented its adoption policy of the post-2015 development agenda at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 held on 25–27 September 2015, in New York City.

Development career

Waissi's professional work focuses on economic development since 1998. He has worked for many national and international non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, and government in Kabul and provinces. Waissi has started his first government engagement in the field of aid management and budget policy. He has been responsible for most of the development partnership activities for Afghanistan since 2003 and has been directly involved in coordination and organizing of 22 national and international conferences for Afghanistan from 2004 to 2015 in Kabul, Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Rome, London, Bonn, Brussels and in number of neighboring countries.

Afghanistan National Development Strategy

In June 2006, Waissi has been appointed as the Coordinator and Formulation Manager for the Interim-Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS) at the Office of the Senior Economic Advisor to the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Professor M. Ishaq Nadiri (Former President Hamid Karzai). The I-ANDS was served as the interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP) based on the World Bank development modules.

The ANDS was a five-year national development plan outlined the government strategy for achieving its long-term development vision. It was based on the Afghanistan Millennium Development Goals and the benchmarks of the Afghanistan Compact. Both the MDGs and ANDS/PRSP meant to help the government and policy makers at the national and ministry levels to plan activities for reaching the priority development results required to address people's priority needs. The I-ANDS/I-PRSP was presented at the International Donor Conference in London in 2006.

The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), 2008-2013 served as Afghanistan's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and used the pillars, principles and benchmarks of the Afghanistan Compact (2006) as a foundation. [20] The ANDS document was instrumental for absorbing more foreign aid for the development process of Afghanistan and presented at the Paris Conference on Afghanistan in July 2008.

In July 2007, the Boards of Executive Directors of the International Development Association (IDA) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed that the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan had met the requirements for reaching the decision point under the enhanced Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative. The amount of debt relief determined at the decision point was US$571.4 million on March 20, 2006, net present value (NPV) terms, calculated to reduce the NPV of eligible external debt to 150 percent of exports at March 20, 2006. This relief implied a common reduction factor of 51.0 percent. [21]

After the Paris Conference and approval of the ANDS by the boards of the World Bank and IMF in 2008, Waissi has been appointed as Director for Coordination of ANDS Implementation and Budget Policy [22] overseeing implementation of the ANDS and its activities underlined in its National Action Plan.

Millennium Development Goals (MDG)

Results Based Budgeting

In 2008 Waissi has been appointed as the Director for ANDS Coordination of Implementation and Budget Policy at the Ministry of Finance. In late 2008 Waissi and his team at the Ministry of Finance have introduced Results-based management (RBM) mechanism and performance budgeting into National Budget of Afghanistan for the first time between 2009 and 2011. [23] The RBM later introduced as the Performance Budgeting at the Ministry of Finance and still continues as a budget policy tool for measuring results at the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan. [24]

Environmentalism

The Green Club

Wahid Waissi has had a long-standing concern with environmentalism as a national and global issue. Waissi has co-founded the Green Club in 2009 together with Jawid Omar and a team of young Afghans on voluntary basis. Waissi is the chairman and co-founder of Green Club, Afghanistan on voluntary basis. The Green Club soon found its way to the heart and minds of youth activists focused its objectives to encourage environment protection and green knowledge by volunteerism, advocacy and awareness rising. In June 2012, Waissi participated at the Rio+20 United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development as member of the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan delegation. [25]

The Green Club became the first registered civil society organizations on environment protection and sustainable development. The Green Club engaged active citizens who are concerned about environmental degradation and volunteer to make the communities green. [26]

The Green Club made its path towards Earth Day Network and owned the 2013 Earth Day International Recognition Award for its green activities. Waissi also registered a petition with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and submitted the Right for Environment as future Human Rights Commission consideration for their annual analysis and reports.

The Green Club volunteers organized several campaigns namely: A Tree for Me is a Tree for Afghanistan, [27] Earth Day Festivals, [28] Green Club Environment Week, Green Caravans Awareness Campaigns for schools, Run for Green Cycling Contest, Green Policy, media awareness campaigns, drawing competition at selected schools, and photography competition and exhibitions in support of the Earth Day and environment protection. More than 100 youth were engaged directly in all these campaigns all at the same time.

A Tree for Me is a Tree for Afghanistan

Waissi and the Green Club volunteers have initiated the first national tree planting campaigns using the Facebook application under the title of A Tree for Me is a Tree for Afghanistan. [27] The Green Club volunteers planted more than ten thousand trees in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat for five consecutive years.

National Environment Week

In 2015, Waissi and Omar have submitted a proposal to the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, to localize the World Environment Day to National Environment Week based on its successful model practiced by the Green Club between years of 2010 to 2014. The Cabinet of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has approved this idea and included it into national calendar for annual celebration. Since 2015, the national environment week are being celebrated officially.

Green Policy

The Green Club has partnered with the CW4WAfghan to make its Green Policy a public document in the hopes that other organizations, agencies and companies operating in Afghanistan will also adopt similar policies. [29] Afghanistan, and its capital city in particular, are facing an environmental crisis that puts millions of lives at risk, and significantly lowers the quality of life of Afghans. Despite the gravity of this crisis—which is estimated to claim far more lives than the current conflict—little is being done. [29]

Memberships

Waissi is member of Afghanistan Policy Group (APG) [30] focusing on regional peace and stability envisioning post 2014 with other policy groups of 10 member countries. APG is part of the network of policy groups in Afghanistan, Central Asia, India and Pakistan for a regional project entitled "Envisioning a Secure and Independent Afghanistan Post 2014. Perspectives and Strategies for Constructive Conflict Resolution from the Neighborhood". [31]

Waissi is member of Asia-Pacific Community of Practice (APCoP) on Managing for Development Results. [32] Through APCoP, he has participated as Afghan Government representative at the Third High Level Forum on Managing for Development Results in Hanoi, Vietnam. [33] He was also supporting for preparation of Fourth High Level Forum on New Deal Aid Effectiveness, which was held in Busan in 2011. Waissi was a fellow member and program coordinator (2012) of Afghanistan 21 Young Leaders Initiative a non-partisan and non-political group of young Afghans who shared common values and beliefs to address social, economic and political issues in Afghanistan. [34] The AYLI fellows [35] have managed to reflect their views and considerations about current and international affairs of Afghanistan. The AYLI fellows developed many position papers [36] ahead of the key strategic events linked to Afghanistan i.e. Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan, 2012; [37] Position Paper on NATO Summit in Chicago, 2012; [38] and International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, 2012. [39] AYLI is being supported by Asia Society 21 Young Leaders program. [40] [41]

Personal life

Waissi is married and has two daughters and a son.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. 1 2 "Economic Cooperations - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan". www.mfa.gov.af. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  2. "Holding of the Meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG) on Afghanistan and Pakistan". May 13, 2014.
  3. "Press Conference on Meeting of International Contact Group". 20 September 2013.
  4. "Selected Alumni Profiles: Wahidullah Waissi, CDE, Williams College".
  5. "Rashid and Waissi are first Afghan students at CDE". The Williams Record. 2004-10-19. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  6. "Williams Magazine" (PDF). The Williams College. Spring 2017.
  7. "CAMCA" (PDF).
  8. "CACI, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC".
  9. "The Governor-General received from His Excellency Mr Wahidullah Waissi, Letters of Credence accrediting him as the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan".
  10. "Credentials Ceremony 6 September 2017". gg.govt.nz. 6 September 2017.
  11. "First visit to Australia by Afghan president". 3 April 2017.
  12. "President of Afghanistan Visit's to Australia".
  13. "Outcome of President Ghani's Visit to Australia". pm.gov.au.
  14. "Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA)".
  15. "RECCA Website".
  16. "The First RECCA National Focal Points Meeting was held on August 26, 2017 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan with the participation of the National Focal Points from RECCA regional countries". recca.af.
  17. "Seventh Meeting of the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA VII) scheduled to take place from 14-15 November 2017 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan". recca.af.
  18. "From Negotiation to Investment, Construction, & Trade: A New Decade of Progress - RECCA Annual Review 2016" (PDF). www.recca.af. 15 September 2016.
  19. "Finalization of the text of the Chabahar Agreement, New Delhi".
  20. "The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS)". Archived from the original on 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  21. "Debt Relief for Afghanistan".
  22. "First ANDS Annual Report (2008/09): Making a Difference: Transition from Planning to Practice" (PDF).
  23. Waissi, Wahidullah (2008). "Afghanistan's Experience On Results Based Management: Moving Toward Program Budgeting, Written by Wahidullah Waissi, ANDS/PRSP Development Manager, Ministry of Finance" (PDF).
  24. Waissi, Wahidullah (2008). "Afghanistan's Experience on Results Based Management: Moving toward program budgeting" (PDF). Asia Pacific CoP-MFDR: 4.
  25. "Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, COUNTRY POSITION PAPER FOR RIO+20" (PDF).
  26. "The Green Club".
  27. 1 2 "A Tree for Me is a Tree for Afghanistan National Sapling Campaign".
  28. "ON INTERNATIONAL DAY, AFGHAN CHILDREN PAINT AND ATHLETES RUN WITH MESSAGE TO PROTECT EARTH". 22 April 2013.
  29. 1 2 "Initiating the Green Policy".
  30. "Envisioning Afghanistan Post 2014, Perspectives and Strategies for Constructive Con ict Resolution from the Neighbourhood" (PDF). Afghanistan Policy Group.
  31. "Peace and Stability in Afghanistan Post-2014: What Role for Regional Actors?" . Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  32. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/project-documents//39322-02-reg-tar.pdf.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. "Wahidullah Waissi has participated as Afghan delegation at the 3rd HLF Meeting on MfDR in Hanoi" (PDF).
  34. "Afghanistan 21 Young Leaders Initiative - Who we are?".
  35. "AYLI" (PDF). AYLI Class Profiles.
  36. "Position Papers by the AYLI". 3 February 2019.
  37. Afghanistan Young Leaders Initiative Position Paper for the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan, Kabul – July 2, 2012
  38. "Afghanistan Young Leaders Initiative: Position Paper on the NATO Summit in Chicago – May 7, 2012" (PDF).
  39. "International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn: Afghan Youth Vision 2014 and Beyond – December 1, 2011" (PDF).
  40. "Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative". Asia Society. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  41. "Ambassador Wahidullah Waissi (Class of 2011) (Afghanistan) | Asia Society". asiasociety.org. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
Wahidullah Waissi
وحیدالله ویسی
Ambassador of Afghanistan to Australia
Assumed office
March 1, 2017