Turhan Saleh appointed new UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced that Turhan Saleh has officially assumed his duties as the agency’s new Resident Representative in Afghanistan, effective July 15, 2026.

Saleh brings nearly three decades of experience within the United Nations system and has held a number of senior leadership positions at UNDP.

Before taking up his new post in Afghanistan, he served as Senior Adviser in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States, where he focused on transitions from UN peacekeeping and special political missions.

From December 2023 to March 2026, Saleh served as Deputy Director of UNDP’s Crisis Bureau, overseeing issues related to crisis operations, humanitarian-to-development transitions, crisis financing and strategic policy development. Prior to that, he was UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia from May 2019 to November 2023.

Since joining UNDP in 1997 as a Policy Adviser in the Office of the Administrator, Saleh has held several senior roles across the organization. These include Director of the Millennium Development Goals Unit, Deputy Director in the Division for UN Affairs, Country Director and Acting Resident Representative in Nigeria, Chief of the Country Support Team in the Regional Bureau for Africa, and Strategic Plan Coordinator in the Executive Office.

According to UNDP, Saleh has worked directly with four UNDP Administrators and contributed to the development of nearly all of the organization’s strategic plans over the course of his career.

Before joining UNDP, Saleh began his UN career with UNICEF in 1989. He worked in Ghana and Eritrea and contributed to UNICEF’s first country programme in post-apartheid South Africa. He also completed internships with UNICEF, the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Council.

Saleh holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in political economy from Cornell University, a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University, and also studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University of Oxford.

His appointment comes as Afghanistan continues to face significant humanitarian and development challenges, with UNDP playing a key role in supporting livelihoods, basic services and community resilience across the country.

Saleh succeeds Stephen Rodriques, who served as UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan from May 2023. He has been appointed as UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh.