Perspectives on Afghanistan

Topic: Perspectives on Afghanistan, with Helen Clark, Chris Carter, Abbas Nazari, Zakaria Hazaranejad, and Zahra Hussaini

Broadcast date: September 2, 2021 12pm NZST

In this public webinar, Helen Clark, Chris Carter, Abbas Nazari, Zakaria Hazaranejad, and Zahra Hussaini shared perspectives on the unfolding catastrophe in Afghanistan. They discuss the events of the past 20 years, shared observations drawn from their experiences, and discuss what the future may hold for Afghanistan.

The webinar was hosted by the Helen Clark Foundation, and was facilitated by Soraiya Daud.

About the panellists:

* Helen Clark was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999-2008, and subsequently served as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator from 2009-2017. She followed affairs in Afghanistan since 2001 when her Government agreed to accept refugees from the Tampa.

* Chris Carter is a former long serving New Zealand Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. He led the regional governance programme for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan between 2011 and 2015.

* Abbas Nazari came to New Zealand with his family as a refugee from Afghanistan, and is the author of a recently published memoir titled ‘After The Tampa’. He and his family were on MV Tampa.

* Zakaria Hazaranejad is the former President of the Hazara Afghan Association of New Zealand and is one of the “Tampa Boys”.

* Zahra Hussaini is a community advocate from Ōtautahi Christchurch. She studied Applied Science, and now owns a business. Zahra’s siblings were also on the MV Tampa.