Koenigs is new UN special envoy for Kabul

Tom Koenigs, who serves as a commissioner for human rights policy in Germany, succeeds Jean Arnault of France.

German civil servant Tom Koenigs has been appointed as the UN special representative for Afghanistan to succeed Jean Arnault of France, the United Nations announced on Tuesday.

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Koenigs, who currently serves as a commissioner for human rights policy and humanitarian aid in the German federal government, will also become head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), a UN statement noted.

Koenigs served as UN chief Kofi Annan's special representative for Guatemala from August 2002 to December 2004 tasked with monitoring a 1996 peace agreement between former parties to the civil war and previously as deputy UN special representative for civil administration in Kosovo.

Arnault, who will end his Afghanistan mission next month, was appointed to the post in February 2004, when he succeeded Algeria's Lakhdar Brahimi.

Arnault had also worked as the UN representative in Burundi and the special representative and head of mission for the UN Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala.