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UNAMA head Deborah Lyons’ term in Afghanistan ends
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Head of UNAMA Deborah Lyons, the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, officially ended her term of office in the country after over two years on Thursday, the mission confirmed.
Lyons’ replacement to Afghanistan has not yet been announced.
Her mission was extended in December last year. During this time, she sought to build an international consensus to help the Afghan people, as well as find a way out of the humanitarian crisis and prevent a complete economic and banking collapse.
In April 2020, Lyons took over as UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Chair of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Leading up to August last year, she worked to end the war and violence in Afghanistan and to get Afghan leaders to work together to find a political solution to the country’s future.
With the Islamic Emirate takeover on August 15 last year, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Representative Office for a period of six years due to the changing political situation in Afghanistan.
During this time, Lyons met with officials from the Islamic Emirate several times and apparently pressured them to comply with international demands.
Lyons was also the IEA’s bridge to the United Nations, but UN Security Council sanctions against the IEA’s leaders are still in place.
