NUR-SULTAN – A group of 108 people representing the United Nations personnel accredited in Afghanistan arrived from Kabul to Almaty on Aug. 22, reported the UN in Kazakhstan. Passengers include UN staff and members of several non-governmental organizations that are UN partners in Afghanistan.
The first flight with UNAMA personnel landed at the Almaty airport on Aug.18. The newly arrived persons are international diplomats, bearers of UN passports, to whom UN immunities are applied. Click to see the map in full size.
The first group to be temporarily relocated to Almaty arrived on Aug. 18.
The UN representatives expressed their deep appreciation to the Kazakh government for hosting the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) remote office and their cooperation regarding the arrival of staff in Almaty at the Aug. 20 briefing in Almaty.
According to the UN, this measure is designed to allow the organization to continue providing assistance to the people of Afghanistan with minimal interruptions, while at the same time reducing the risk to UN personnel. The personnel will return to Afghanistan as soon as conditions allow.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Akan Rakhmetullin said that Almaty was chosen as a temporary remote office in Almaty due to its status as a regional center for financial and business activity.
The city has a developed infrastructure, and convenient air communication with other countries.
“The role of our country in ensuring regional and global security was also of great importance. Almaty is a regional center of multilateral cooperation,” said Rakhmetullin.
Some 18 UN agencies are based in Almaty. This will also serve “as a incentive for further strengthening the status of the city as a regional UN hub.”
