New UN Envoy for Afghanistan Meets Indian Foreign Ministry Official in New York
Bareen Media – Raba Fatima, the newly appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), met with Vikram Misri, India’s Foreign Secretary, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Misri stressed the need for the international community to maintain its focus on the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.
He also welcomed UNAMA’s work in Afghanistan and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the UN mission.
Fatima said on X that she was pleased to meet Misri and thanked India for its continued support for the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
She also noted India’s role as co-chair of the Group of Friends of Landlocked Developing Countries and expressed hope that New Delhi would continue its support and cooperation.
Fatima, a senior Bangladeshi diplomat, has not yet formally started her assignment in Kabul but is expected to begin her work as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNAMA soon.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Fatima in July 2026 to succeed Roza Otunbayeva. She has more than three decades of experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and previously served as Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as Deputy Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
