The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Hatem Bamehriz is the country director of NDI's programs in Afghanistan. Previously, he served as the country director of programs in Somalia and Sudan (Khartoum), and the deputy country director for the NDI Yemen office, where he managed different programs and activities working with political parties, parliament, media, local NGOs, the Yemen tribal conflict program, local authority and decentralization programs. In addition to his work in Yemen office, Mr. Bamehriz provided support and assistance to other NDI offices in the region, such as Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan and Morocco. Prior to joining NDI, Mr. Bamehriz was the acting editing manager for the Yemen Times, Yemen's first English language newspaper, and an active member of the Yemeni journalist syndicate and the freedom of speech society. Previously, he was the sales and marketing manager with AK Enterprise in Bombay, India.

Mr. Bamehriz has trained a number of political party leaders and civil society activists in coalition building, youth empowerment and building women's caucuses. He has also trained party agents and representatives in elections monitoring, and has written manuals and guidelines for election monitoring in Yemen and Morocco.

Mr. Bamehriz has written various articles for a wide range of local, regional and international newspapers with a focus on democracy, human rights and development in the Arab world. He has participated in various conferences and roundtable discussions debating democratic progress in the region.

Mr. Bamehriz received his MBA from the University of Pune, India. He is married and the father of three children.