SECRETARY-GENERAL ASKS UNDP ADMINISTRATOR MARK MALLOCH BROWN TO LEAD EARLY RECOVERY EFFORT IN AFGHANISTAN

SECRETARY-GENERAL ASKS UNDP ADMINISTRATOR MARK MALLOCH BROWN

TO LEAD EARLY RECOVERY EFFORT IN AFGHANISTAN

The following statement was issued by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday, 16 November:

The Secretary-General has asked the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mark Malloch Brown, immediately to take on the responsibility of leading the early recovery effort in Afghanistan.

Mr. Malloch Brown will carry out this urgent task in his capacity as the Chairman of the United Nations Development Group policy, involving his fellow heads of funds and programmes, including its Executive Committee members United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).  He will liaise on the Secretary-General’s behalf with other partners such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Commission, other donor organizations, as well as international non-governmental organizations and civil society, to ensure a comprehensive consultation and planning process that responds to the needs of the Afghan people themselves.

Mr. Malloch Brown will undertake this process under the overall coordination of Lakhdar Brahimi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.

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