UN officials travel from NYC to Afghanistan Published Dec. 11, 2007 By Capt. Bob Everdeen, USAF Provincial Reconstruction Team Qalat QALAT, Afghanistan -- Five years after the creation of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, top officials from UN headquarters in New York continue to visit even the most remote districts of this war-torn country. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jane Holl Lute and members of her staff spent time with Zabul Province Governor Delbar Jan Arman here Dec. 8 to discuss future coordination between the UN, UNAMA and the government of Afghanistan. "The UN is certainly committed to looking very closely at how we appropriately profile our engagement here," Ms. Lute said. "And we would not craft a plan without engaging with the people here; your provincial plan is truly a best first step and we play a supporting role." Clearly, there is significant progress to be made while building on the successes the province has seen since 2001. "Al Qaeda and the Taliban are still working inside and outside of Afghanistan," Governor Arman said. "But the Taliban don't have the ability to stay and fight here; they perform attacks and then leave. This is possible because we work closely with my brothers from Task Force Zabul and the Provincial Reconstruction Team." The governor's priorities include stronger security, governance, education and reconstruction, and he believes further interaction with organizations like the UN and UNAMA will contribute to a stronger Afghanistan. "Here we need teamwork between us, the police, the army, judges, lawyers and others," the governor said. "Without it, we will not have success. Afghanistan must be strong politically, militarily and economically. It is slow and I am not happy about that. But with help we can make progress and bring these things to the people." UNAMA has had a field office in Qalat since August 2006. Capt. Everdeen is deployed from Wright-Patterson AFB.