(VOVWORLD) - The United Nations said on Thursday that it will maintain its political and humanitarian mission to Afghanistan despite the departure of US and NATO troops later this year.
 Stephane Dujarric, spokesman to the UN secretary-general (Photo: IRNA/VNA) |
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman to the UN secretary-general, said it was "clear and obvious" that the troops' departure "will have an impact on the country as a whole," in response to questions about the mission's future.
"The UN has been present on the humanitarian development end in Afghanistan for a long, long time, and we will continue to be there to help the Afghan people," he said, adding that the organization would "adapt to the situation on the ground."
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is comprised of some 1,200 employees, the vast majority of whom are Afghan nationals.
With all UN agencies included, the organization’s total presence in Afghanistan amounts to approximately 4,000 people, some 75 per cent of whom are Afghan.
There are two UN envoys to Afghanistan: Canada's Deborah Lyons who is the head of UNAMA and veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault who was appointed in March to "assist in the achievement of a political solution to the conflict."