Shafeek M. Seddiq: Founder and President

Seddiq is a lawyer who practiced with Sidley Austin, LLP in Washington, D.C., has been working in Afghanistan since 2008, first as advisor to the Attorney General of Afghanistan, then head of the International Development Law Organization’s (IDLO) programs before establishing AJO in 2011. Mr. Seddiq has spoken and or participated in various national and international conferences.

Professor Wadir Safi: Vice President/Media & Communication

A former Government Minister and a senior professor at Kabul University Faculty of Law and Political Science.  He is currently serving as the Executive Director of the National Legal Training Center (NLTC), and is a political analyst appearing on national and international radios and televisions. His commitment, diplomatic skills and guidance have been crucial in pushing forward the development in the rule of law.

Lailuma Nasiri: Vice President Programs/Operation:

Ms. Nasiri has more than nine years of management, gender justice and human rights experience working with national and international organizations.  She is responsible for the overall management, implementation of projects and operation, and representing AJO with donors.  Ms. Nasiri also has extensive experience in publishing and web-based networking.  She has organized many seminars and conferences on various topics and has been featured in several news and prominent websites. 

Professor Nasirullah Khalid: Director Training/Capacity Building

Has more than six years of working with building the capacity of the justice sector institutions.  He is a former senior trainer and legal advisor with the international organization, an adjunct professor of Sharia Law at the University of Kabul with extensive knowledge of the criminal justice and the judiciary of Afghanistan.  Prof. Khalid brings a unique benefit to AJO in that he combines Afghan laws and his knowledge of the Islamic laws in his teachings.  He has sponsored many study tours and has appeared before the Women’s Committee in Parliament advising members on the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law.

Mohammad Akbar Zahid: Anti Corruption Project Manager

Akbar Zahid holds Masters Degree in Islamic Studies & Comparative Religion, and BA in Sharia & Law from Sharia Faculty of International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan. He is  responsible for the management of the project activities; coordination with stakeholders; facilitation of knowledge building, report writing and supervision of project personnel. Akbar Zahid has more than 8 years of project management experience with various international organizations and the Afghan government. Akbar Zahid brings a unique benefit to AJO in Islamic laws and he has written books on different topics. He has sponsored and has extensive experience of work with Afghan Parliament.

Ahmad Hasib Farhan: Director Monitoring and Evaluation

Farhan is a graduate of Kabul University and holds a master degree from Japan in Public Policy and Economics.  Mr. Hasib is currently implementing the M and E component of all AJO projects as well as heading the surveys.  Mr. Hasib has more than six years of monitoring and evaluation experience with various international organizations and the Afghan government.  
 

Background:
n 2011 , a team of Afghan lawyers and development professionals involved in the legal reform and capacity building of justice sector professionals for the past several years working with Afghan justice institutions and international organizations realized that Afghanistan is lacking a premier professional civil society - public policy research - organization capable of performing at the same or better level than the international counter-parts, NGO, contractor implementing programs here in Afghanistan. As a result, the Afghanistan Justice Organization (AJO), an Afghan-managed and Afghan-led, NGO, a non-profit, non-partisan organization was established.

The AJO is governed by the Board of Directors and managed by its executive team. The current team consists of: President, a Vice President for Program Management and Operation, a Vice President for Legal Education and Awareness, and the following departments:

·      Capacity Building Department
·      Strategic Studies Department
·      Monitoring & Evaluation Department
·      Information Technology Department
·      Finance and Procurement Department
·      Human Resources Department