The Libertas Council is honored to welcome Mr. Aref Dostyar as an inaugural Global Libertas Fellow. The Global Libertas Fellowship is a three-year Fellowship equipping legislators, diplomats, survivors, business leaders, and thought leaders with tools and practical solutions to advance freedom and flourishing. Working with the Libertas Council’s experienced team, the Global Libertas Fellows build strategic, solutions-oriented plans to generate measurable results in the fight against human trafficking or advancing democracy.
Mr. Dostyar began his work in peacebuilding, research, and diplomacy over 15 years ago. He 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 roles, 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. His work led to peaceful cohabitation training in mosques and schools across the country.
In addition to his founding work at the Afghanistan Peacebuilding Initiative, Mr. Dostyar is an Advisor and Program Leader for the Afghanistan Program for Peace and Development at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. He works 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. As a respected leader in this field, he has written and spoken extensively on democracy in Afghanistan.
Prior to becoming a Global Libertas Fellow, Mr. Dostyar collaborated with the Libertas Council in hosting convenings and holding the Future of Afghanistan webinar series. As a current Global Libertas Fellow, Mr. Dostyar’s projects focus on advancing democracy in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
