30 March 2010 - The top United Nations official in Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, flew today to the volatile southeastern provinces of Paktya and Khost to meet with UN staff and local communities and authorities in one of the most challenging regions of the country.

In his first trip outside Kabul since arriving on 13 March to take up his post as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, de Mistura said he wanted to acknowledge the courage and commitment of his staff in the towns of Gardez and Khost, who have been working in an increasingly insecure environment.

He also wanted to “pay respect to local communities, as we are their guests in Afghanistan and partners in seeing the stability and development of these provinces,” he explained to members of the Khost Provincial Council.

He told Paktya provincial Governor Juma Khan Hamdard that selecting the southeastern region for his first visit was “not by accident,” as he wanted to assess the situation in a location that was difficult for both UN staff and for Afghans.

“My visit is not only for me to learn but also a sign of support and solidarity for what you are trying to do and what my colleagues are trying to help you to do,” he told the governor. “Strengthening relations with Afghan authorities and communities at all levels will be one of my main priorities over the coming months, not only in Kabul, but throughout Afghanistan.”

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which de Mistura leads, has continued to serve in the region as a coordinator of international aid and an impartial facilitator. UNAMA also engages in capacity building for Afghan institutions. .

With movement in the southeastern region increasingly restricted, the UN reaches out to local communities by inviting local and tribal leaders, NGOs and religious figures to gatherings at its premises and other meeting points, where information and support is given on governance, human rights, development, security, electoral processes and other issues.

The Special Representative's visit was also meant to bolster UN staff, concerned by recent attacks, particularly one in Khost on Saturday in which a long-time highly respected German aid worker was severely injured and an Afghan engineer killed. The fact that the UN is valued in the region for its impartiality, its long tenure, institutional knowledge and relationships with Afghan people was a crucial reason to continue their valuable work, he told the largely Afghan staff.

“The role you have to fill is crucial…You are working to help Afghans and the future of Afghanistan.”

Special Representative de Mistura also visited a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Gardez and the brigade headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Khost, where he expressed the UN’s interest in supporting sustainable projects that should be Afghan-led.