UN Appoints Kyrgyz Ex-President to Head Afghanistan Mission
Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan has been appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as the new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), succeeding Deborah Lyons, who stepped down in mid-June.
Roza Otunbayeva, a former president of Kyrgyzstan succeeds Deborah Lyons of Canada, whom the Secretary-General thanks for her committed service, according to a UN statement on September 2.
Otunbayeva takes on the position at a time when Afghanistan’s rights for women and children have been heavily restricted since the Taliban took back power in August 2021.
The UN says that Otunbayeva has over 35 years of professional expertise in leadership, diplomacy, civic engagement, and international cooperation.
In addition to three times serving as foreign minister, she was the president of the Kyrgyz Republic. The new UN appointee has also served as Deputy Prime Minister; she was a member of the Kyrgyz parliament.
According to the statement, she is currently the Director of the Roza Otunbayeva Initiative Foundation in Kyrgyzstan and a member of the High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation of the United Nations Secretary-General.
The UN made the appointment when Markus Potzel was acting head of UNAMA and Deborah Lyons had just finished her tenure as the UNAMA head.
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