United Nations, September 4 (BNA) The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, appointed the former President of Kyrgyzstan as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The United Nations said in a statement that Rosa Otunbayeva, who also served as Kyrgyzstan’s foreign minister, will replace Deborah Lyons, who resigned in mid-June.
The humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated since the Taliban took over a year ago with the withdrawal of US-led forces after two decades of war.
According to the UN statement, Otunbayeva brings to the position more than 35 years of professional experience in leadership, diplomacy, civic engagement and international cooperation.
She served as President of the Kyrgyz Republic (2010-2011) and on three occasions as Minister of Foreign Affairs, most recently as Acting Minister in 2005. She was a Member of Parliament (2007-2010) and served as Deputy Prime Minister in 1991.
Otunbayeva also held several senior diplomatic positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the positions of the Kyrgyz Republic’s ambassador to the United States of America and Canada (1992-1994) and the Kyrgyz Republic’s ambassador to the United Kingdom (1997-2002). ). From 1989 to 1991 she was the chairperson of the Soviet National Committee for UNESCO.
Otunbayeva also worked with the United Nations as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (2002-2004).
At present, she is a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation and Chair of the Rosa Otunbayeva Initiative Foundation in Kyrgyzstan.
Otunbayeva holds a PhD in Philosophy from Moscow State University and a degree from the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University. She is fluent in Kyrgyz, Russian and English.