UN Envoy Rabab Fatima to Arrive in Kabul to Begin Official Mission

DID Press: Rabab Fatima, the newly appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), is expected to travel to Kabul in the coming days to formally assume her duties.

Fatima, a senior Bangladeshi diplomat, was appointed to the positions by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Before travelling to Afghanistan, she held discussions with officials from several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, India and Tajikistan, on the situation in Afghanistan, efforts to strengthen stability, and support for the rights of women and girls on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Her mission begins amid significant challenges in relations between the Taliban authorities and UNAMA. The UN mission’s reports on the human rights situation and restrictions on social freedoms have drawn strong criticism from Taliban officials.