The United Nations Secretary-General’s New Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Markus Potzel has recently arrived in Kabul.
On 17 June 2022, Antonio Guterres, the UN Chief, appointed Markus Potzel of Germany as his new deputy secretary representative for Afghanistan.
In a tweet on Tuesday Potzel said: “It’s with a sense of honor & respect that I’ve returned to Afghanistan, this time as the deputy UNAMA head. I’m committed to working for the Afghan people as their country goes through a crucial juncture in its modern history.”
Potzel has 27 years of diplomatic experience and has worked in Afghanistan for eight years.
Potzel has served as personal assistant to the foreign affairs minister (2006-2009), in the Parliamentary and Cabinet Division of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2004-2005), and as head of the Economics and Trade Section in the German Embassy in Tehran (2000-2004), and as head of the Cultural Section in the German Embassy in Singapore (1997-2000).
Potzel holds a master’s degree in Persian and English language and literature studies from the Humboldt University Berlin in Germany and the University of Dushanbe in Tajikistan.
He is fluent in English, German, and Persian languages.