KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced that Turhan Saleh has officially assumed office as its new representative in Afghanistan.
In a statement issued on Thursday, UNDP said Saleh most recently served as a senior advisor in its Regional Bureau for Arab States, where he focused on supporting transitions from UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions.
From December 2023 to March 2026, he served as Deputy Director of UNDP’s Crisis Bureau, leading efforts on the transition from humanitarian assistance to sustainable development, crisis operations, crisis financing and related policy development.
Earlier, Saleh was the UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia from May 2019 to November 2023.
According to the statement, Saleh joined UNDP as a policy advisor in 1997 and has since held a number of senior leadership positions, including head of the Millennium Development Goals Unit, deputy director of the UN Affairs Division, Officer-in-Charge and Resident Representative in Nigeria, head of the Country Support Team in the Regional Bureau for Africa, and Strategic Planning Coordinator in the Executive Office.
UNDP said Saleh has worked under four administrators during his career and has contributed to the development of nearly all of the organisation’s strategic plans.
The statement said Saleh began his UN career with UNICEF in 1989 after completing his postgraduate studies.
He served in Ghana, Eritrea and South Africa, and also completed internships with UNICEF, the World Bank and the World Food Council.
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