Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam

Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam () is an Afghan writer, a leader in AI/ML information technology and cybersecurity, national security, and a political analyst. He has held roles such as Deputy Senior Advisor to the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Senior Advisor to NATO and the Chairman of the Afghan Anti-Corruption Network (AACN).

Early life and education

Hamdam was born in 1981 in the village of Alishing, Laghman Province, Afghanistan. His educational journey began in 1986 when he enrolled in Lam-e-Shahid Primary School in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. His secondary education took place in Jalalabad, where he graduated from Shahid Muhammad Arif High School in 1999. That same year, Hamdam enrolled in the Political Science Faculty of Nangarhar University. However, his studies were abruptly interrupted by the Taliban regime, forcing him to leave the university.

Despite this setback, Hamdam continued to pursue his education:

# In 2002, he earned his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences from the Nangarhar Institute of Health Sciences.
# In 2003, he received an Advanced Diploma in Administration and Economics from the Swiss College of Administration and Economics.
# In 2010, he graduated from the Center for Security Studies in Germany, where he studied Advanced Security and International Relations.
# He later earned a Master of National Security degree from The Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC.
# Hamdam also holds a Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at George Washington University.

Hamdam's educational background is diverse, spanning sciences, administration, economics, security studies, international relations, and cybersecurity. In addition to his formal education, Hamdam has developed linguistic skills. He is fluent in several languages, including:

* Dari (Afghan Persian)
* Pashto (one of Afghanistan's official languages)
* Urdu (widely spoken in neighboring Pakistan)
* English

This linguistic proficiency, combined with his varied educational background, suggests that Hamdam is well-equipped to engage in international diplomacy and cross-cultural communication, which are valuable skills in the fields of politics and security.

Career history

Hamdam currently serves as Senior Engagement Manager at AWS and, before that, as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte, offering guidance and support to several Fortune 100 companies in the realms of cybersecurity and information technology. Before these roles, he held the position of Senior Program Manager at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. In Afghanistan, Hamdam served as Deputy Senior Adviser to the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for international affairs at the Senior Advisory Office of the President on U.N. Affairs (SAOP UN-Affairs).

The SAOP UN-Affairs played a pivotal role in implementing One U.N. for Afghanistan, a strategic framework that replaced the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Afghanistan. This involved successfully drafting a mutual accountability framework between the government of Afghanistan and the United Nations. The implementation of One UN or Delivering as One (DAO) presented significant challenges for both the UN family and the Afghan government; however, the SAOP achieved success in this endeavor.

Under the new framework, the U.N. is mandated to align its programs and projects with Afghanistan's national strategies and priorities.

In his roles as a Senior Advisor and Senior Analyst, Hamdam played a crucial part in advising senior NATO, U.S., and international policymakers on the political and developmental dynamics of Afghanistan, South Asia, and Central Asia. Additionally, he serves as the Chairman of the Afghan Anti-Corruption Network (AACN), a prominent coalition of civil society organizations dedicated to tackling corruption.

Hamdam has shared his expertise as a subject matter expert for the University of Maryland and as a senior research fellow at Civil Vision International. His diverse experience includes serving as a senior media, political, and public diplomacy advisor to the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2014.

In addition to his advisory and analytical roles, Hamdam actively collaborates with numerous organizations. He sits on the Board of the Modern Organization for the Development of Education (MODE) and serves as the executive board chairman of the Anti-Corruption Watch Organization. He is also the mastermind behind initiatives such as Youth For Peace, Afghan Youth Against Corruption, Anti-Corruption Watch Organization, and Kabul Tribune—an online newspaper. Additionally, Hamdam co-founded the Afghan Women Coalition Against Corruption.

His affiliations include being a member of the Afghan Young Leaders Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), a position as Program Associate at the Hiroshima Peace Builders Center, and participation in the United Nations Coalition Against Corruption ( UNCAC). Hamdam is also a member of Voice Against Corruption and the Afghan Civil Society for Advocacy.

During the 2009 presidential and provincial elections of Afghanistan, Hamdam contributed as a presenter for political round-table discussions on Moby Media, Tolo T.V. From 2001 to 2008, he held positions as a linguist, culture advisor, media coordinator, and spokesman for Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan and the Department of Defense.

His journey into public service began in 2001 as a freelance interpreter. From 1998 to 2001, he served as a Project Manager with the World Health Organization in Jalalabad city in eastern Afghanistan. The Asia Society recognized Hamdam as one of the 21 Young Asia Leaders, acknowledging his significant contributions to leadership in the region.

Fighting corruption

Hamdam said that corruption is the biggest problem, which feeds insecurity in Afghanistan as well as the insurgency, poppy cultivation, drug processing and drug trafficking. He formed the biggest ever group of volunteer social activists from across Afghanistan
to fight corruption, the most dangerous and most challenging job in one of the most corrupt and unstable countries in the world. Through peaceful demonstrations and protests such a 5 km countrywide race against corruption, he mobilized thousands of citizens to pressure the government to reform, through 5 km race against corruption. He has also mobilized young people, students, and women to participate in the fight against corruption. He is an outspoken activist who has disclosed cases of senior corrupt officials. He has advocated for the trial and persecution of cabinet members and senior politicians. Hamdam exposed land grabbing and corruption among senior government officials and cabinet members. He has advocated for election transparency and reform. He also played a key role in exposing Kabul Bank corruption, where near on billion USD was looted in corruption, which resulted in the collapse of the bank.

Hamdam was a critic of the Karzai government for not taking firm steps to fight corruption. In an interview with CBS TV, he stated that corruption originates from the streets and extends to the palace, and he described Karzai's government as the most corrupt government ever. He has repeatedly called on and pressured the Afghan government to fight corruption, viewing it as a significant problem for the country. For his contribution to transparency, justice, peace and security of Afghanistan, he was nominated for 2013 Nobel Peace Prize by Combined Joint Interagency Task Force-Shafafiyat (NATO Transparency Task Forces).

Afghanistan's affairs

Hamdam is closely following the developments in Afghanistan and the countries of the region. Following Afghanistan's affairs as an observer, He has attended International Conference on Afghanistan, The Hague 2009 in the Netherlands, NATO 60 Summit in Strasburg (France) and Kehl (Germany) in 2009, Kabul International conference in 2010, NATO Summit in Lisbon Portugal in 2010, 2nd International Bonn Conference about Afghanistan, the NATO Chicago Summit in 2011 and tens of other national and international conferences on Afghanistan. As an observer he observed Afghanistan presidential elections in 2004 and 2009, Afghan parliamentary and provincial elections in 2005 and Traditional Loya Jirga on the Afghanistan and the U.S. Strategic Partnership Agreement.

Advocating for a closer relationship with the western allies, Hamdam played a key role in signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Afghanistan and US. Among other Afghan leaders and activists, he also signed the letter to President Obama advocating for the BSA and the letter said: We strongly echo the endorsement of the Bilateral Security Agreement last month at the ''Loya Jirga ''and reiterate that the agreement should be signed without delay. Our voice reflects a growing chorus from all segments of Afghan society, including our religious and business community leaders, who remain concerned about the future of our country and wish to see the expeditious finalization of the BSA.

Representing Afghanistan in the European Parliament, he advocates for peace, accountability, transparency and fighting corruption. He urged the leadership of the European Union, the European Parliament, and the European Commission to support Afghans in their fight against corruption. He wrote in one of his articles to E.U. leaders: Afghanistan alone cannot reach its goal of reducing corruption; it requires the support of the international community. Without delay, serious actions should be taken to eliminate the problem. These actions should include empowering civil society organizations and the media to play a bigger role in the fight against corruption. If Afghanistan is to qualify for aid over the coming years, a serious commitment, strong determination, and practical decisions will be necessary to implement the laws and strategies required to overcome the problem of corruption in Afghanistan.

Hamdam was often criticized by some Afghan politicians and anti-Western figures for his pro-Western opinions. He is seen as pro-West. As a Senior NATO Public Diplomacy Adviser, he has often defended NATO policies, and to extremists, he is seen as a NATO-backed activist. Hamdam has defended NATO's positions on numerous occasions and has advocated for Afghanistan to become a NATO member. Muslim extremists and regional actors widely criticized him for his article, in which he clearly stated that Afghanistan should be a NATO member. After the completion of the ISAF mission, he advised in one of his articles that "Afghan government and NATO should be able to enter a new, comprehensive, closer, stronger and mutual relationship. It should be based on mutual commitment and long-term cooperation, with full respect for Afghanistan's sovereignty. The relation that can make Afghanistan a NATO member country in the future." While some analysts called the ISAF mission a failure, Hamdam called it a historic and significant success.

As a writer

He writes for ''The Huffington Post'' and many leading Afghan papers and journals on political, security and foreign affairs. Talking about the corruption related issues and Afghanistan's affairs he has been appearing in numbers of national and International media outlets, such as Tolo News TV, Khaama Press News Agency, RFE/RL, BBC, CBS, AFP, ARD, VOA, TRT TV, Aljazeera TV, ''The Washington Post'' and other key national and international media outlets.

He is optimistic about Afghanistan. After the end of one decade ISAF mission in Afghanistan, he wrote on the Khaama Press that Afghanistan of 2001 is not comparable with Afghanistan of 2015. With 352,000 strong Afghan National Security Forces, backed by the U.S. and NATO, an increasingly vibrant civil society sector, and a large youth population, Afghans are hopeful that their country will never return to the dark era. For this to remain effective, Afghanistan and its partners must continue to build on these achievements over the next decade, ushering in a new era of transformation.

Hamdam looks at democracy as a new phenomenon in Afghanistan and emphasizes on reform and fighting corruption. He wrote in Unipath is a professional military magazine published quarterly by the Commander of the United States Central Command as an international forum for military personnel in the Middle East and Central Asia region: Governments and institutions work differently in democratic societies. He claims that it is not only fighting terrorism and extremism, but also good governance, that is a key priority for Afghanistan. He sees the weak rule of law and the existence of "impunity circles" and safe havens for corrupt individuals and officials in Afghanistan and abroad as the primary contributors to violations of human rights and injustice.

He believes that the Afghan and U.S. governments were not able to define their relationship for more than a decade. Hamdam wrote in his opinion editorial, ''A Decade of Relations Without Definition'', that the Afghan-U.S. relationship should not be only based on dying and killing for each other, but it should be based on social, economic and political interests as well. Numerous opportunities already exist to build that long-term and stable relationship. At the moment, some Afghans see the presence of the U.S. in Afghanistan as a world policing force against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Hamdam is advocating for peace in Afghanistan, and he believes that through only military means, the war in Afghanistan cannot end. However, the Taliban repeatedly asked for the full U.S. troops withdrawal, but Hamdam wants the U.S. and NATO's long-term presence in Afghanistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamdam, Mohammad Shafiq
Afghan writers
Living people
1981 births
Spokespersons
Afghan journalists
Pashtun people
Afghan democracy activists
Afghan human rights activists
Afghan Muslims
Civil rights activists
Community activists
Afghan scientists
Linguists from Afghanistan
Anti-war activists
Anti-corruption activists
21st-century Afghan writers
Children's rights activists
Afghan education activists
Afghan shooting survivors
Victims of the Taliban
Nangarhar University alumni
People from Laghman Province
NATO Defense College alumni
Muslim writers
International Security Assistance Force