He is also a senior advisor to Jalal Talabani, the former president of Iraq.
Prior to his diplomatic career, Ziad and his family had a long history of participation in the Kurdish freedom movement.
His father, Kaka Ziad was Vice President of the KDP in the 1950s and was also a famous Kurdish leader of his time.
As a young man, Howar Ziad was active in the Kurdish student movement while studying in Europe.
He went on to represent Kurdish interests abroad for many years, including a five-year stint as representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government at the United Nations (1999–2004).