2. Previous Functions of Omar Samad:
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2001-2004),
Ambassador to Canada (2004-2009),
Ambassador to France (2009-20110700),
Senior adviser to Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah (2014)
Senior Afghanistan Expert at USIP (2012 -20151128)
designate Ambassador to Belgium (20160400)
Director Corporate Development Ralph Lauren Corporation (2016, 2017)
Senior fellow with the Atlantic Council think-tank, Washington, USA (20200304)
 

3. Biodata:
Mohammad Omar Samad was born in Kabul in 1961 and did his primary and secondary schooling in Kabul, Paris and London. He became a refugee in 1979 settling in the US until 2001. He has a Master's Degree in International Relations from the Fletcher School,Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA prior to the start of his assignment as Ambassador in Canada in 2004.

From 1980-1982, he was the President of the Afghan Student Association, Virginia, USA. Then, he became the President of the Afghan Youth Council in America from 1982-1989. In 1986, he moved on to study at American University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and International Affairs. He earned a Master's degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, Medford, MA in International Relations in 2006 as part of the GMAP programme.

Omar Samad is Senior Afghanistan Expert at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington DC. (20120100) He was Ambassador to France (2009-2011) and to Canada (2004-2009) and Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry (2001-2004).

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he was an activist defending freedom and democracy in Afghanistan. In 1996, he became the executive producer of the Azadi Afghan Radio and its website as part of the Afghanistan Information Center, based out of Virginia, USA. When the September 11th incident happened, he quit that position to become a commentator and analyst for CNN during Bonn Accords on Afghanistan. He also made numerous appearances on the BBC, Fox, Al Jazeera and major international television and radio programs. He has commented and reported extensively about Afghanistan in English, French and Dari.

Since joining the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001, he has been a member of many delegations to the UN, NAM, Islamic Conferences and specialized conferences on Afghanistan, including the Tripartite Security Commission with Afghanistan-US-Pakistan. He also worked in the IT field for many years (1981-2001).

One of Abdullah’s top aides, a diplomat named Omar Samad, was appointed Ambassador to Belgium, the E.U., and NATO. In April 2016, Samad was about to travel to Brussels when the President’s office sent him a letter withdrawing NATO from the portfolio. Samad rejected the deal and left Kabul to be with his family in Washington.(20160821)

He writes extensively for various publications, including Foreign Policy.



Omar is married to Khorshied Samad. The couple have two sons.

He is fluent in English, French, Pashtu and Dari