Afghanistan: On the Brink of Collapse
Afghanistan’s former Minister of Finance Khalid Payenda will tell his story — for the first time publicly — of how he stepped down from his role as the Ghani administration was collapsing, in an event hosted by Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Mr. Payenda will discuss the final days of the Ghani administration, evaluate the possible disintegration of the Afghan economy under Taliban rule, and give an insider’s view of the corruption that had hollowed out the government.
This event will take place in a hybrid format. Current Georgetown students, faculty, and staff may attend in person with a Georgetown ID; campus venue details will be emailed to those who secure an in-person ticket. All others may join virtually.
Captioning will be provided for the livestream; for any other requests for accommodations due to a disability or medical condition, contact sfsevents@georgetown.edu. A good faith effort will be made to fulfill all accommodation requests.
Speakers
Khalid Payenda served as the Acting Minister of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from January to August 2021. In a career spanning over a decade at the Ministry of Finance, Payenda served in a series of roles, including as the Deputy Minister of Finance overseeing fiscal policy, budget, and treasury management; Director General for the Macro-Fiscal Performance Directorate General; and Senior Policy Adviser. Before joining the Finance Ministry, Payenda worked with the World Bank on a multi-donor trust fund for Afghanistan’s reconstruction and on macro-economic and fiscal issues. He has also worked with a number of international development agencies and think tanks on economic development and public financial management issues. Payenda co-founded the first private university in Afghanistan and taught economics and leadership courses for over a decade. He is a Fulbright scholar and graduated from the University of Illinois with a Master’s degree in economics. He also holds an MBA.
Joel Hellman (moderator) is dean of the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Prior to joining Georgetown in July 2015, Dean Hellman served as the World Bank’s first chief institutional economist. Previously, he directed the World Bank’s Fragile and Conflict Affected States Division in Nairobi, Kenya. As a development practitioner, Dean Hellman has worked in nearly 50 countries across four continents. He previously taught as a faculty member at Columbia University and Harvard University. ‘