Mahmoud Saikal (Dari: محمود صیقل) is an Afghan former senior diplomat and an international development specialist.
During the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan, Saikal left his second year at Kabul University to finish his studies in Australia.
[1] Prior to this, Saikal briefly worked as a World Bank Consultant, where he authored the policy paper of ‘Afghanistan and Economic Regionalism’ in 2010.
[2] Saikal started his diplomatic career as the First Secretary and later as Counselor/ Charges D'affaires at the Afghan Embassy in Tokyo, Japan in 1993.
[11] He served as Vice President of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly and chaired the New York consultations with UN member States on the Global Compact on Refugees.
[citation needed] Saikal's term ended on February 19, 2019 and he was succeeded by Afghanistan's first female UN Ambassador, Adela Raz.