Two diplomatic sources in New York say that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has decided to appoint Bangladeshi diplomat Rabab Fatima as the next Special Representative for Afghanistan. According to the sources, the appointment will be formally confirmed if none of the members of the UN Security Council raises an objection within the next 48 hours.
If finalized, Fatima will assume leadership of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) at one of the most critical stages in the mission’s history. The Security Council recently extended UNAMA’s mandate for another year while also calling for a strategic review of the mission’s activities and future priorities.
Fatima will succeed Roza Otunbayeva, the former President and Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan. Otunbayeva’s term as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of UNAMA ended in September 2025. Since then, Georgette Gagnon, the Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs, has been serving as the mission’s acting head.
Fatima currently serves as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States. She brings more than three decades of experience in national and international public service, with expertise in diplomacy, policymaking, advocacy, and the management of international programmes.
Before assuming her current position, she served as Bangladesh’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2019 to 2022. During that period, she chaired the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2020 and the Executive Board of UN Women in 2022.
In 2021, Fatima also served as Vice-President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). In 2022, she became the first woman elected Chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and also served as one of the Vice-Presidents of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
Her expected appointment comes as UNAMA enters a strategic review of its mandate. On 15 June, the Security Council adopted a resolution extending the mission’s mandate until 17 June 2027 and requested that the Secretary-General submit a report on the strategic review by March 2027.
According to the resolution, the purpose of the review is to assess UNAMA’s role, priorities, and capacity to carry out its mandate under Afghanistan’s current circumstances. The process is intended to determine the extent to which the mission’s activities remain aligned with the country’s evolving political and security environment.
The one-year extension followed an earlier decision by the Security Council in March to renew UNAMA’s mandate for only three months. During the Council’s deliberations, members discussed whether the mission’s existing mandate remained fully implementable or whether its priorities and responsibilities should be revised to reflect current realities.
UNAMA’s work includes political engagement, human rights monitoring, advocacy for the rights of women and girls, and coordination among the United Nations, international organizations, and Afghan stakeholders. The mission has faced growing challenges in recent years, particularly since the Taliban’s return to power.
Increasing restrictions on women and girls, as well as limitations imposed on the work of Afghan women employed by the United Nations, are among the key challenges confronting UNAMA. Together with broader political developments, these issues have significantly affected the implementation of the mission’s mandate.
If the appointment is confirmed, Fatima will take over the permanent leadership of UNAMA after several months under acting management. She will assume the role at a time when the UN Security Council is reassessing the future direction of the mission and the United Nations’ role in Afghanistan.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
