Serving On Mission
Afghanistan
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. Subsequently, a series of civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country’s civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN.
The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution and a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. On 7 December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005.
On 20 March 2008, the United Nations Security Council, in its resolution 1806 (2008) extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for one year, until 23 March 2009. UNAMA’s overall function is to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan by leading efforts of the international community in conjunction with the Government of Afghanistan in rebuilding the country and strengthening the foundations of peace and constitutional democracy.
While the Security Council decided that the UNAMA mandate remains as defined by previous resolutions, 1662 (2006) and 1746 (2007), the resolution spelled out that UNAMA and its new Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Kai Eide of Norway), will lead civilian efforts to:
1. Promote more coherent support by the international community to the Afghan Government;
2. Strengthen cooperation with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF);
3. Provide political outreach through a strengthened and expanded presence throughout the country;
4. Provide good offices in support of Afghan-led reconciliation programmes;
5. Support efforts to improve governance and the rule of law and to combat corruption;
6. Play a central coordinating role to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid;
7. Monitor the human rights situation of civilians and coordinate human rights protection;
8. Support the electoral process through the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission;
9. Support regional cooperation in working for a more stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
Afghanistan was admitted as a member of the United Nations on 19th November 1946 and its relationship with the UN thus goes back some 60 years. Many of the major UN agencies work in Afghanistan with Afghan counterparts and with national and international NGO partners. All UN programmes recognize the lead role played by the Afghan Government.
UNAMA structure
UNAMA is a political mission, directed and supported by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. As an ‘integrated’ mission, UNAMA has two main pillars, one dealing with development and humanitarian issues, and the other handling political matters. The mission has some 1,300 staff, the vast majority of whom (around 80 percent) are Afghan nationals.
UNAMA coordinates all activities of the UN system in the country and works for the establishment of strong and sustainable Afghan institutions. The framework for cooperation between the Government of Afghanistan, the United Nations and the international community is outlined by the Afghanistan Compact, a blueprint for working towards peace and security, rule of law, good governance, human rights protection and sustainable economic and social development over a five-year period. The Compact was launched on 31 January 2006.
There are a number of guidelines that characterize the work of UNAMA: all activities of the UN system are coordinated and the programme of work is determined by Afghan needs and priorities; the Mission aims at having as many nationals as possible in posts that traditionally have been occupied by expatriates; capacity-building is a cardinal principle and UNAMA works towards the establishment of strong and sustainable Afghan institutions – in that context its ultimate goal is to work itself out of a job.
UNAMA’s priorities include strengthening Afghan institutions and building the capacity of the Afghan Administration at all levels, including the development of institutions of good governance, of law and order, and of security. Emphasis is also given to increasing employment and cash for work schemes, which provide income to families.
Current UNAMA Senior Management:
1. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan: Kai Eide
2. Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan: Bo Asplund
3. Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Christopher Alexander
UNAMA Postal Address
via New York:
P. O. Box 5858
Grand Central Station
New York, NY, 10163-5858
United States of America
via Islamabad:
P. O. Box 1428
Islamabad
Pakistan
Street Address
Peace Street
Kabul
Afghanistan
Tel No.: (+39-0831) 24 6000
Fax No.: (+39-0831) 24 6069
(+1-212) 963 2669
Email: spokesperson-unama@un.org
UNAMA – Spokesperson’s Office
Aleem Siddique
Officer in charge, Office of Communication and Public Information
Tel.: (+39-0831) 24 6178
Mobile: +93 (0) 700 253 468
Tie Line: (+1-212) 963-2668 Ext: 6178
Email: siddiquea@un.org
Dan McNorton
Public Information Officer
Tel.: (+39-0831) 24 6291
Mobile: +93 (0) 700 250 358
Tie Line: (+1-212) 963-2668 Ext: 6291
Email: mcnorton@un.org
Dominic Medley
Public Information Officer
Tel.: (+39-0831) 24 6292
Mobile: +93 (0) 796 856 746
Tie Line: (+1-212) 963-2668 Ext: 6292
Email: medleyd@un.org
Nazifullah Salarzai
Public Outreach Officer
Tel.: (+39-0831) 24 5326
Mobile: +93 (0) 797 662 504
Tie Line: (+1-212) 963-2668 Ext: 5326
Email: salarzai@un.org
Nilab Mobarez
Public Information Officer
Tel.: (+39-0831) 24 5565
Mobile: +93 (0) 797 662 503
Tie Line: (+1-212) 963-2668 Ext: 5565
Email: mobarez@un.org
Homayon Khoram
Public Information Officer (Electronic Media)
Tel.: (+39-0831) 24 5345
Mobile: +93 (0) 700 282 164
Tie Line: (+1-212) 963-2668 Ext: 5345
Email: khoram@un.org
Shoresh Mostafa Kalantari
Video & TV Producer
Tel.: (+39-0831) 24 6367
Mobile: +93 (0) 700 299 004
Tie Line: (+1-212) 963-2668 Ext: 6367
Email: kalantaris@un.org
UN Agencies Media Contacts
Afghanistan’s New Beginnings Programme (ANBP)
Soma Ibrahimi
UNDP/ANBP Public Information Officer
Mobile: (+93-700) 072 577
Email: sibrahimi@anbpafg.org
Kumar Tiku
UNDP/ANBP Public Information and communications manager
Mobile: (+93-700) 241 486
Email: ktiku@anbpafg.org
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Assadullah Azhari
National Information Officer
Mobile: (+93-700) 274 515
Email:assadullah.azhari@fao.org
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)
Roshan Khadivi
Communications Officer
Mobile: (+93-798) 507 110
Email: rkhadivi@unicef.org
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Ayesha Durani
Gender and Media Communication Officer
Mobile: (+93-700) 395 038
Email: ayesha.durrani@unifem.org
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
Fatemah Shams
Associate Programme Officer
Mobile: (+93-799) 242 845
Email: fatemah.shams@unep.ch
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Mohammad Nader Farhad
Public Information Assistant
Mobile: (+93-700) 279 231
Email: farhadm@unhcr.org
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Fakhruddin Azizi
Head of UNIDO Operations in Afghanistan
Mobile: (+93-700) 808 404
Email: fakhruddin.azizi@unido.org
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Nazar Ahmad Shah
National Programme Officer
Mobile: (+93-700) 204 004
Email: ahmadshah@unodc.org
World Bank
Abdul Raouf Zia
External Affairs Officer
Mobile: (+93-700) 280 800
Email: azia@worldbank.org
World Food Program (WFP)
Ebadullah Ebadi
Public Information Officer
Mobile: (+93-700) 282 547
Email: ebadullah.ebadi@wfp.org
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Fezeh Hosseini
Public Information Officer
Mobile: (+93-700)475 714
Email: fezeh.hosseini@undp.org
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
Gagan Rajbbhandari
ILO Coordinator for Afghanistan
Mobile: (+93-799)437 986
Email: gagan.ilokabul@undp.org
United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA)
Maria Lourdes M. Luces
Consultant, Media and Publicity
email: mluces@unfpa.org
Mobile 93 (700 )307 539 / ( 93-797) 508 317
Asma Rahimi
Advocacy and information management officer
email: rahimi@unfpa.org
Mobile +93 (700 ) 203 118
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Tushar Dighe
Advisor to Director
Mobile: (+93-799)686 597
Email: tushard@unops.org
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Khalilullah Hamid
Programme Officer, External relations
Mobile: (+93-700)201 904
Email: khamid@adb.org
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