Ambassador Kai Eide was the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) from March 2008 to March 2010. Before taking up the position he was Political Director of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since October 2006.
He was Norwegian Permanent Representative to NATO from 2002 to 2006. This was his third term at NATO. He was Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway in the period 1991 to 1993 and Deputy Director of the Private Office of Secretaries General Lord Carrington and Manfred Wörner from 1987 to 1989.
He served as Norwegian Ambassador to the OSCE from 1998 to 2002, including as Chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council in 1999.
Ambassador Eide has served the UN in various positions, primarily relating to the Balkan conflicts. His most recent UN experience has been as a Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan with the aim of bringing the political process in Kosovo forward to a settlement of Kosovo’s status. His two reports – in 2004 and 2005 – formed the basis for the policy adopted by the UN Security Council. He was the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997 to 1998. During the war, he was the Deputy UN Representative to the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia (ICFY) in 1994 and 1995.
Serving on the staff of the so-called Mitchell Commission, Ambassador Eide was one of the authors of the Mitchell Report – relating to the Palestinian Intifada, which started in September 2000.
Ambassador Eide was State Secretary responsible for foreign and security policies in the Office of the Norwegian Prime Minister during 1989 and 1990. He also served as Special Adviser to the CEO of the Norwegian oil company STATOIL before reentering the Norwegian Foreign Service.
During his career, Ambassador Eide has written extensively on foreign policy issues, primarily on Balkan affairs.
Ambassador Eide was born in Sarpsborg, Norway in 1949. He is married to Ms Gro Holm and has two daughters.
KEY SPEECHES AND ARTICLES
A Strategy for Transition to Afghan Leadership, 6 March 2010
Reconciliation opinion editorial by UN envoy to Afghanistan: Time to talk, 26 February 2010
UN Security Council, 6 January 2010
UN Security Council, 29 September 2009 Afghanistan in 2009 - A Turning Point? 30 July 2009
Human Rights Conference, 21 July 2009
Afghanistan's critical clections: English - Dari - Pashto
UN Security Council, 30 June 2009
National Peace Jirga of Afghanistan, 18 June 2009
Meeting of ISAF Defence Ministers, 12 June 2009
Local Procurement Conference, 10 June 2009
Meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, 26 May 2009
The Hague Conference, 31 March 2009 (Dari - Pashto)
UN Security Council, 19 March 2009
International Women's Day, 8 March 2009
NATO Defence Ministers Meeting, 19 February 2009
UN Security Council, 14 October 2008
UN Security Council, 10 July 2008