10 October 2010 - It is with great sadness that all of us in the humanitarian and development community, and in particular those of us who worked with her in the United Nations, learnt of the death of Linda Norgrove. Her death is also a tragedy and loss to the people of Afghanistan whom she served with dedication and passion.

Dari - Pashto

From 2005 to 2008, Linda worked in Afghanistan for the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Office for Project Services on bio-diversity conservation issues and road projects, among others. She worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Environmental Protection Agency. However, Linda's commitment to Afghanistan was not limited to her work.

She had a genuine interest in the country, fluent in Dari and learning Pashto, travelling extensively and building lasting friendships with her international and Afghan colleagues alike. She was a true advocate for the people of Afghanistan and was dedicated to bringing improvements to their lives — one of the reasons she chose to return to Afghanistan in January of this year. Her spirit and compassion will be greatly missed.

We condemn the killing of Linda Norgrove. The increasing violence which targets humanitarian and development workers, as well as civilians in Afghanistan, is unacceptable.

- Robert Watkins, Humanitarian and United Nations Resident Coordinator

 Kabul