Tom Koenigs of Germany named as senior UN envoy to Afghanistan
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Tom Koenigs, a German national who has served the UN in Kosovo and Guatemala, as the new head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Tom Koenigs, a German national who has served the UN in Kosovo and Guatemala, as the new head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Mr. Koenigs will replace Jean Arnault of France, who has served in the post since February 2004.
The Frankfurt city official served from 1999 to 2002 as Deputy Special Representative for Civil Administration of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and from 2002 as Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA).
Mr. Koenigs is presently the Commissioner of Environment of Frankfurt as well as a senior member of its city administration, where he has held a variety of posts since 1989.
Trained in economics and bank management, he began his political career in 1984 as an assistant to the Green Party’s Parliamentary group in the federal State of Hessen.
In other news, the Secretary-General today appointed Poland’s former Prime Minister, Marek Belka, as the new Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
The Secretary-General and the Security Council President also exchanged letters confirming that the mandate of the head of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, Javier Rupérez, will be extended through the end of next year.
A separate exchange of letters confirmed that Mohamad Sahnoun, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa, will continue in that post through 31 December 2006.