Mahmoud Saikal of Afghanistan Chair of Third Committee

(Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

The Third Committee (Social Humanitarian and Cultural) elected Mahmoud Saikal (Afghanistan) as Chair on 5 June.  (See Press Release GA/12022.)

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Saikal was the Special Representative of the Chief Executive of Afghanistan from 2014.  Since 2012, he served as Convener of the Afghanistan Policy Group, which led a major regional “track II” diplomatic process facilitated by the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

Between 2008 and 2012, Mr. Saikal was the acting Chief Executive Officer and Senior Adviser to the Japan International Coordinating Agency for Kabul New City Development and Master Planning of Greater Kabul.  From 2005 to 2006, he served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, holding the economic affairs portfolio.

Mr. Saikal holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Sydney, a bachelor’s in applied science in environmental design from the University of Canberra and a master’s degree in international and community development from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

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*     This supersedes Press Release BIO/4774 of 27 October 2015.