UN chief appoints special peace envoy for Afghanistan

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday announced the appointment of Jean Arnault of France as his Personal Envoy on Afghanistan and Regional Issues.

According to a statement issued by the UN, the Secretary-General has asked Arnault to assist in the achievement of a political solution to the conflict, working closely with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and regional partners.

The UN stated Arnault brings over 30 years of experience in international diplomacy focusing on peace settlements and mediation, with extensive background in United Nations missions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, including Afghanistan.

Arnault´s most recent assignments included Delegate of the Secretary-General to the Colombia peace talks and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Colombia from 2015 to 2018; and Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Bolivia from 2019 to 2020.

This comes amid a renewed push by the US to accelerate the peace process in Afghanistan and buy in from a number of countries to host meetings.

On Wednesday, representatives from the Afghan Republic and the Taliban headed to Moscow for talks scheduled for Thursday.

Washington’s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is also expected in Moscow after the US State Department confirmed earlier this week that he would attend the meeting.