Ending violence and promoting peace in the Middle East

Ambassador Dina Kawar

Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States

SIPA'85, Harvard'87

In conversation with:

Natasha Lebedeva

JRN '94, Senior Director for International Affairs at NBC News

6pm: Social (hors d'oeuvres, open bar)
6:45pm: Family-Style Dinner
7:30 pm: Conversation and Q&A

ColumbiaDC is excited to announce our signature annual event – the Hamilton Lecture and Dinner.  Please join us in person as we welcome H.E. Dina Kawar for a fascinating and informative discussion about the state of the Middle East, the latest tragic surge of human loss, and the complex geopolitical forces that affect it.

Peace and prosperity is a long-term endeavor reaching across cultural, religious, and ethnic boundaries. It requires inspired and committed leadership, and that is hard. Unfortunately for the Middle East, those insecure in their political or moral standing have been taking the easy path of short-term gain, which has invariably led to violence and indiscriminate destruction down the road.

With her unique vantage point, HE Kawar shares her invaluable perspective on how to arrest this vicious cycle and how to lead the cradle of civilization to where its historic and venerated moral leaders intended.

Cosponsored by the Harvard Club of Washington DC

Time will be allocated for audience questions.  We hope to see you there!

Ambassador Dina Kawar was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States of America in June 2016. Ambassador Kawar also served as the Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations from August 2014 to June 2016. She has led the Jordanian delegation during Jordan’s non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council in 2014 and 2015 and became the first Arab woman to preside over the body when Jordan took its rotation. In February 2016, she was appointed by the President of the General Assembly as a co-facilitator for the high-level meeting of the plenary of the General Assembly on the large movement of refugees and migrants to take place in September 2016. Prior to her position in New York, Ambassador Dina Kawar served as the Ambassador of Jordan to France from 2001 to 2013, with concurrent accreditation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and to the Holy See, since 2002. She also served as non-resident Ambassador to Portugal from 2005 to 2013.

Ambassador Kawar was awarded the Order of the State Centennial by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2022 as well as the Medal of Independence of the first degree in 2001. She also holds a number of decorations including the “Commandeur De La Legion d’ Honneur” from France, the “Medalha de D. Afonso Henriques” from Portugal and the “Insignes de Dame de Grand-Croix de l’Ordre de Saint Grégoire le Grand” from the Holy See.

Ambassador Kawar is member of International Group of Eminent Persons for a World without Nuclear Weapons (IGEP) which was initiated by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan. She is also member of the Board of Overseers at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Ambassador Kawar holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University in New York City and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Mills College in Oakland, California. She also attended Harvard’s Center for International Affairs from 1986 to 1987.

She speaks Arabic, French and English.

Natasha Lebedeva is based in Washington DC and responsible for NBC News special big international news projects, coverage of international breaking news, exclusive interviews with world leaders, maintaining relationships with foreign governments, and access to foreign countries. She serves as a liaison between NBC and foreign countries where NBC pursues news coverage. Lebedeva personally handles NBC’s access and relations with Russia, North Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, France, and the Vatican among others.

Prior to her NBC career, Lebedeva was a producer for CNN, reporter for Newsweek magazine (with byline stories) and a producer for PBS program ‘Charlie Rose’. Lebedeva was a producer for a number of documentaries that aired on PBS, Discovery channel, National Geographic, also at the Library of Congress and Stanford University. Lebedeva is a recipient of prestigious journalistic awards for her achievements in news coverage. She was awarded several Emmy Awards; International Press Club Award; National Headliner Award; Alfred I. DuPont - Columbia Award, The Columbia Journalism School Alumni Award.

She is a participant at the Davos Economic Forum, Munich Security Conference, Halifax International Security Forum, Aspen Security Forum, St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh, G-20 and G-7 meetings, as well as NATO and UNGA meetings. She speaks four languages.

Natasha Lebedeva is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Journalism. Natasha also holds a Master's degree with Honors in Structural, Applied and Mathematical Linguistics from St. Petersburg University (St. Petersburg, Russia). She currently serves as a Co-President of Columbia University Alumni Club of Washington DC, and as a Board of Directors member at Columbia Alumni Association. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, member of the Foreign Policy Discussion Group, and an advisor to the Global Kids Organization.