Afghan Biographies

Marufi, Yahya


Name Marufi, Yahya
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1939
Function/Grade Presidential Advisor International Relations
History and Biodata

1. Former Adviser international Affairs:
Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta
Enayatullah Qassimi
Dr. Sharifa Sharif (2006-2007)
Dr. Yahya Marufi (20130330)

2. Previous Functions:
Director of the Department of International Relations and United Nations Affairs MoFA, Kabul (before 1997)
Executive Director for Asia and Special Envoy in the International Organization for Migration (OIM) based in Geneva, Switzerland. (1997-2001)
Special adviser to the Afghan President
Hamid Karzai (20020202)
Ambassador of Afghanistan to Scandinavia, resident in Oslo (20041006-2007)
Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran (20070500- 20091122)
Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) (20091200)
Presidential Advisor in International Relations (20130609)

3. Biodata:
Marufi YahyaDr. Mohammad Yahya Maroofi Maroufi Marufi was born March 5, 1939 in Kabul, originally his family is from Kandahar, Afghanistan, where his father Mohammad Osman Pashtoon, a well-known writer and activist engaged in the freedom movements of the time struggling against colonial rule, had been appointed President of the Afghan Association of Letters and Literature.

The family returned to their home town, Kandahar, in 1943 where he spent most of his childhood and attended school. He returned to Kabul in 1959 and enrolled in Kabul University. He graduated with honors in Law and International Relations in 1963. He
holds a Master degree in International Relations from the University of Sydney and a Master degree in International Law from the Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey. As an honor student he had the privilege of embarking on a career of his choice and Maroofi chose to join the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He became Deputy Director of the department in 1974 and Director in 1977, a post he held until 1979 when the Soviet backed regime seized power and threw the country in turmoil that span for over two decades.

In 1981 Ambassador Maroofi and his family left Afghanistan and were granted refuge in Switzerland. He embarked on a second career in 1983 as an international civil servant with the International Organization for Migration
.

With OIM Maroofi was responsible for dossiers involving Afghan refugees in Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan as well as for the maintaining of good diplomatic relations between the Organization and the respective Governments. Maroofi started in the Organization for Migrations as a Consultant for refugees matters in Africa after he and his family had left Afghanistan further the Soviet invasion. Maroofi took care of dossiers involving cross border refugees during political crisis in Iraq, Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia from 1985 to 1992. He was the general secretary of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

 

Maroofi is married to Mrs. Soraya Ludin Maroofi and they have two children, a son Yama and a daughter Sabrina. Mrs. Maroofi started her career with the United Nations in Kabul and served with the Afghan Permanent Mission of Afghanistan in New York when her husband was appointed Attache to the Mission.

 

Last Modified 2013-06-09
Established 2009-11-22