Thursday, October 9, 2008
by: Karen Lynch

H.E. Dr. Zahir Tanin, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, will address the Seton Hall community on Monday, 13 October 2008 at 4:00 PM in the Chancellor's Suite, located on the lower level of the University Center. Ambassador Tanin will discuss current issues in Afghanistan, and will offer a question and answer session with students following his remarks. For more information on the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the U.N. please visit http://www.afghanistan-un.org/index.htm .
 
H.E. Dr. Zahir Tanin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the 19th of December 2006.
 
 Prior to his appointment, Dr. Zahir Tanin was Editor of BBC World Service (Persian and Pashto Section) for Afghanistan form 2001-2006. Before that, he worked as Producer and Senior Producer in the BBC.
 
 Having started his career in 1980 as a journalist in Kabul, Mr. Tanin came to BBC from London School of Economics and Political Science, where he was a Research Fellow at the International Relations department form 1994 to 1995. Prior to that, he was Editor-in-Chief of Afkbar-e-Haftah and Sabawoon Magazine in Kabul and a freelance writer in France. Mr. Tanin was co-author of The Communist Regime in Afghanistan, a comprehensive study of the political and social changes in Afghanistan from 1978 to 1992, and authored Afghanistan in the Twentieth Century, published in Tehran. He also produced a 29-part programmed entitled The Oral History of Afghanistan in the 20th Century, broadcast by the BBC.
 
 A graduate of the Kabul Medical University, Mr. Tanin has also completed several BBC broadcasting and media management, and other courses, as well as an extensive one-year BBC leadership programme.
 
 In June 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Afghanistan announced that Ambassador Tanin was selected as a Deputy President (Vice-President) of the UN General Assembly. He is fulfilling his role as Vice-President of the 63rd Session of the UNGA, which began in September 2008.
 
 Born on May 1, 1956, Mr. Tanin is married with two children.
 

For more information please contact:
Karen Lynch
(973) 313-6174
lynchkar@shu.edu