Secretary-General to appoint new UN envoy to Afghanistan

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Kai Eide of Norway as his Special Representative and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

An “integrated” mission established in March 2002, UNAMA has two main pillars: one dealing with development issues, and the other handling political matters. These are headed by deputy envoys Bo Asplund and Christopher Alexander, respectively.

A career diplomat with the Norwegian foreign service, Mr. Eide served with the UN as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to deliver a comprehensive review of Kosovo in 2005 and as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1997-1998.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oslo where he studied political science, international law, French and literature.

Mr. Eide replaces Tom Koenigs of Germany, who completed his assignment last December.