Afghan Biographies

Kofi, Fawzia Mrs.


Name Kofi, Fawzia Mrs.
Ethnic backgr. Tajik
Date of birth 1976
Function/Grade Ex Wolesi Jirga Member
History and Biodata

Fawzia Kofi Fauzia Kufi
Mobile: 0707250000

2. Previous Functions:
English Teacher at  Badakhshan University
UNICEF Officer for Child Protection (2002)
Wolesi Jirga Member 2005 MP MNA Badakshan
Wolesi Jirga Member 2010 MP MNA Badakshan reelected

3.Biodata:
Kofi_FawziaFawzia Kofi Koofi Fauzia Kufi, daughter of Abdul Rahman  was born 1976 in Darwaz District, Badakshan Province. She was the 19th of 23 childen in the family. She was born to an illiterate mother and a distant father with seven wives. Her father served as a senator during king Zahir Shah’s reign. The mujahideen killed her father, an MP for 25 years, before the 1979 Soviet invasion. She got married 1997 to Hamid Ahmadi, a chemical enigneer and a Professor at a university. Her husband died in 2003 of tuberculosis he had contracted in a Taliban prison, leaving her to look after their two daughters.

 

She has a masters in the Dari Language and political science, and has worked for UN agencies in Badakhshan. Kofi obtained a master’s degree in Business Management from the University of Pakistan in Islamabad. Currently (2012), she is taking evening classes at the Law Faculty at Kabul University.

 

Now she is a smooth operator in Parliament and has the backing of both Rabbani and Zalmai Mojaddedi. Fauzia Kofi is a independent Wolesi Jirga 2010 member and she is a woman advocat. She was a member of the Committee on women affairs in Wolesi Jirga 2005.

 

Fauzia Kufi escaped an attack while two of her bodyguards sustained injuries, officials said on 20100305. She came under fire from unidentified armed men while she was on her way to depart the country's eastern city of Jalalabad to the central capital Kabul. Officials said Kufi was attacked near Sarobi, the troubled district of Kabul joining the border with the eastern province of Laghman.

Fauzia Kufi on the political and social consequences of the peace- talk and reconciliation process with Taliban: If the government neglects its fundamental duties to address the primary needs of its citizens and instead involve itself in issues beyond its authority and continue to ignore role of other state institutions such as parliament, this will either take the country back to 1990s or if the government while neglecting all other state institutions and Afghan nation and the MPs persists on its reconciliation efforts this will result into Talibanization of Afghanistan. The current process, the recent tendency of Afghan government to bring peace at any cost, and the stand taken by regional countries such as Pakistan seems to direct Afghanistan towards Talibanisation.(20110415)

Hedayatullah, the brother of Mariam Kufi and Fauzia Kufi, two female parliamentarians from the northeastern Badakhshan  province, was arrested along with three others companions on Monday for allegedly carrying the opium in a car. (20110608)

The Information Sources Center for the female MPs in Wolesi Jirga was inaugurated by Fawzia Kofi, the Chairwoman of Women Affairs Commission.(20110913)

 

Badakhshan MP, Fauzia Kufi expressed support of MP Barakzai’s (Herat) hunger strike and said that is her legal right to struggle for gaining her rights.(20111012)

 

kofi_fawzia_daughters

Kofi is the only woman to announce her candidacy in the 2014 Presidential election.(20130214)
 

Fauzia Kofi launched a newly-formed political alliance “Wave of Change” on 20130926. Both as a female politician and a possible presidential candidate, Koofi is taking a great risk in a country where the Taliban regularly attacks senior lawmakers and is steadfastly opposed to women's rights.
 

The provincial council candidate, Noor Ahmad, also known as Mawlavi Abdul Rab belongs to Koof district of Badakhshan province and was arrested in northeastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan while he was smuggling 294 kg of opium.with a Ford Ranger vehicle. Dr. Nilofar Ibrahimi, lawmaker from Badakhshan province in Afghan parliament, said Noor Ahmad is a close relative of Afghan lawmaker Fawzia Koofi who represents northeastern Badakhshan province in Wolesi Jirga – lower house of the parliament of Afghanistan. She said Noor Ahmad was contesting for provincial council seat during the election with support of Fawzia Koofi and had secured the seat. District police chief of Keshm, Saifullah, said the candidate was arrested around 2:30 pm local time in Balocha area of Keshm district.(20140819)

Warlord Nadir Shah smuggled precious stones and minerals from Afghanistan. He is the brother of Fozia Kofi, a female member of the Afghan parliament or lower house.(20180711)

 

The Afghan lawmaker in the Lower House of the Parliament, Wolesi Jirga, Fawzia Koofi, reacted at the likely removal of her name from the list of the candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections. A special committee in the Independent Election Commission has removed the names of at least 25 candidates, mainly having connections with the irresponsible armed individuals and involvements in other criminal activities.

According to  reports, Fawzia Koofi, Mujeeb Ur Rehman Samkanai, Shah Wazir Tara Khel, Sher Wali Ahmadzai, Bashir Qanat, and Gul Murad are among the candidates who names have been removed from the list.(20180805)

Founder of the Mawj-i-Tahawal of Afghanistan and former female member of Wolesi Jirga Fowzia Kofi has termed the upcoming Loya Jirga for peace unfair and against the country’s national interest. She believes it is part of extravagant election campaign which is of no use at the moment. Kofi, member of Mohammad Hanif Atmar-led Peace and Moderation election ticket, described the allocation of $5 million budget for the Jirga as the “misuse” of the national budget.(20190408

 

Fawzia Koofi was returning to Kabul from the neighboring northern Parwan province August 14, 2020 when unknown gunmen ambushed and attacked her vehicle in a marketplace near the capital city. Koofi was shot in the right arm while travelling with her sister, but she was in “good health,” tweeted Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, the head of a 21-member national team designated to negotiate a political settlement to the country’s long conflict with the Taliban. Koofi is one of the only women taking part in negotiations with the Taliban. But there are concerns the attack on Koofi, an outspoken critic of the Taliban , could undermine the process. (20200816)

Mrs. Zarifa Yaqubi was a close aide of former Afghan MP Fawzia Kofi who moved to the United States after the fall of Kabul. Her colleagues said Yaqubi has been actively engaged in advocating for women’s rights under the Taliban.(20221103)

Prominent women’s rights activist, Zarifa Yaqubi, was released from Taliban custody in Kabul. A source, who refused to be identified due to security threats, confirmed Mrs. Yaqubi was released from Taliban custody in Kabul today (Monday, December 12th).

Koofi has spent time in Qatar, Switzerland, the United States, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, to pressure the international community to take action on women’s rights in Afghanistan. Initially, she tried to resettle in Canada but ultimately ended up in London, where both her daughters are pursuing master's degrees.(20220901)

 

Fawzia Kofi was married (now widow) and has two daughters, Shohra and Shaharzad.

 

Fauzia Kofi speaks Dari, Urdu and English.

More Background:

 

Former MP, Former Member of the Negotiation team with the Talibans, and, president of Movement for change Political party

Fawzia Koofi was a member of peace negotiation team representing Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. She has made her leadership journey in a country of internal conflicts. After completing her baccalaureate degree, she entered a competitive medical school. But soon after the Taliban took over in September 1995, and barred women from access to all education! Finding the doors of a university education closed to her, Fawzia focused her energy on women’s right organizations, and worked closely with one of the most vulnerable group such as Internally Displaced People (IDP), and marginalized women and children. After the fall of the Taliban, she continued law faculty night shift while still working with UNICEF Afghanistan on women and children's rights. She eventually got her bachelor's degree from Kabul University law and political sciences faculty and her Master on International relations from Geneva School of Diplomacy, from Geneva City.

 

Fawzia’s political family background and orientation to public service propelled her to take hold of the new opportunities that were paving the road for many women. She decided to run for a seat in parliament from the Badakhshan province, she was elected Member of Parliament from that province in September 2005, right after the first elected parliament after 33 years, Fawzia was elected as the first woman Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament in the history of Afghanistan.

 

Some of the key women’s initiatives that she has championed include the improvement of women’s living conditions in Afghan prisons, by approving resolutions, with her efforts a commission to work on the issue of violence against children is established, the commission was chaired by Afghanistan first vice president. She tabled many progressive laws protecting women and children including law on violence against women, anti harassment law on women and children, child act and contributed to laws that ensures protection of Human rights for citizen. She promoted women and girls education, by advocating for access to good schools, as well as creating opportunities for non formal education for out of school children in her constituents, Badakhshan province.

 

She is the author of letters to my daughters and the favorite daughter book which is her auto biography. In 2016 she has been elected as president of IPU's Human rights Committee, IPU works to promote democracy and peace around the world.

 

He has been titled as Young global leader by World Economic Forum, fearless mind of 2013 by times magazine and many more. She has been awarded many prestigious awards including women of knowledge, Minerva and many more.

 

She is the leader of a newly established political party called Movement for Change in Afghanistan.

She was recently nominated for the Nobel peace prize which is a great accomplishment.

 

Last Modified 2022-12-16
Established 2009-10-12