UN chief nominates Bangladeshi diplomat Rabab Fatima as special envoy for Afghanistan

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has nominated Bangladeshi diplomat Rabab Fatima as his Special Representative for Afghanistan and submitted her nomination to the UN Security Council, sources told Ariana News on Thursday.

According to the sources, the Security Council is expected to decide on her appointment.

If approved, Fatima would succeed Roza Otunbayeva whose tenure ended in September last year.

Fatima is a veteran Bangladeshi diplomat who has served as the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States since 2022.

She previously served as Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and as the country’s ambassador to Japan. During her diplomatic career, she has also held senior positions at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, focusing on migration, human rights and international development.

The United Nations has not yet officially announced the nomination.