Roya Rahmani

Ambassador Roya Rahmani is a global leader and strategist with more than two decades of experience negotiating complex agreements, building influential coalitions, and driving institutional change across diplomacy, development finance, and international affairs.

As Director of Global Engagement at the World Bank Group, she leads strategic relationships with civil society, think tanks, academia, multilateral institutions, and other partners, strengthening coalitions to advance the institution’s global development priorities.

Previously, as Chair of Delphos International, a global financial advisory firm, she advanced financing solutions for infrastructure and development projects in emerging markets, connecting governments, investors, and development institutions.

In 2018, Rahmani became Afghanistan’s first female Ambassador to the United States, following her earlier appointment as the country’s first female Ambassador to Indonesia and its first accredited Ambassador to ASEAN. Across these roles, she led high-stakes negotiations and forged relationships across governments, legislatures, and international institutions.

Earlier, as Afghanistan’s first Director General for Regional Cooperation, she helped establish the Heart of Asia–Istanbul Process to advance regional economic integration, security, and cooperation.

Her career also includes international nonprofit leadership, institutional reform, and strategic advisory roles with organizations including NATO and Albright Stonebridge Group. She was recognized in TIME magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Next list.

A Fulbright Scholar, Rahmani holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from McGill University.