KABUL - A long-serving member of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) team in Afghanistan, Mr Abdul Wali Modadiq, has been appointed the Deputy Director-General of Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency. Press statement

Mr Modadiq has worked on a range of sustainable development initiatives with UNEP over the past seven years and most recently served as UNEP Afghanistan’s Officer-in-Charge.

“Mr Modadiq has ably led a wide array of projects on environmental management, institutional development, capacity building and community-based natural resource management in different parts of the country,” UNEP’s Country Operations Manager, Mr Asif Zaidi, said.

“His appointment to a senior government post at the National Environmental Protection Agency recognises Mr Modadiq’s achievements to date in furthering environmental sustainability in Afghanistan and we wish him well in his new role,” Mr Zaidi said.

A forester by background, Mr Modadiq worked for much of his career with the Ministry of Agriculture, from where he was seconded to the UNEP Afghanistan team in 2004.

Mr Modadiq was part of the UNEP workforce honoured with a staff Baobab Award for outstanding team achievement in 2008.

Mr Andrew Scanlon will be UNEP’s acting Officer-in-Charge in Afghanistan.

UNEP’s work in Afghanistan is made possible with support from the European Union, the Government of Finland and the GEF.

For more information:
Mr Andrew Scanlon Acting OIC, UNEP Afghanistan andrew.scanlon@unep.org
Julie Marks UNEP Communications Advisor julie.marks@unep.org +41 22 917 8478