Secretary-General appoints Toby Lanzer of United Kingdom as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan

31 Jan 2017

Secretary-General appoints Toby Lanzer of United Kingdom as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan

NEW YORK - United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Toby Lanzer of the United Kingdom as his Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), where he will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Mr. Lanzer succeeds Mark Bowden of the United Kingdom, who will complete his assignment at the end of February 2017.  The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Bowden’s dedicated service in Afghanistan as Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, UNAMA.

Mr. Lanzer brings significant experience in development, humanitarian affairs and peacekeeping since first joining UNDP in 1992.  His most recent positions have included Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).  He also served with the United Nations in Georgia, the Russian Federation, and Switzerland.

Mr. Lanzer was educated at the University of Oxford, as well as Columbia University and the University of New Hampshire.  He is the holder of a post-graduate certificate in forced migration, a master’s degree in international affairs with a specialization in economic and political development, and a bachelor’s degree in history.