Aref Dostyar

Aref Dostyar is an Advisor and Program Leader for the Afghanistan Program for Peace and Development (AfPAD) at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. In this role, he collaborates with Notre Dame faculty and staff from various programs and institutes to create and support initiatives to amplify Afghan voices for an inclusive and peaceful Afghanistan.

Previously, Dostyar worked as Afghanistan’s Consul General in Los Angeles from 2020 until the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. Prior to that, he served at Afghanistan's Office of the National Security Council in the positions of Director General for International Relations and Director of Peace and Reconciliation Affairs. In these leadership positions, he provided regular policy insight to the Leadership of Afghanistan, served as liaison to global foreign policy directors, and authored several strategic documents including the National Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism, which led to the teaching of peaceful cohabitation in mosques and schools across the country.

Dostyar’s writings and interviews can be found in the New York Times, the BBC, the Foreign Policy Magazine, and several other publications.

More information about Dostyar’s recent work including policy briefs, public policy forums, and Track II dialogue initiatives can be accessed via AfPAD’s resources webpage. He tweets from @ArefDostyar.