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Catriona Laing

Catriona Laing

British Ambassador to Zimbabwe

14th September 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe

Residents of Nad-e Ali District vote for their District Community Council representatives

Over 6000 Elders and residents of Nad-e Ali District took part in elections to vote for their District Community Council members. The elections, organised by the Independent Directorate for Local Governance (IDLG) and secured entirely by Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) were held in the District Centre of Nad-e Ali district. The people were happy and enthusiastic, the three days of voting passed without any security-related incidents.

Three years ago when the Nad-e Ali District Community Council was first established, a total of 650 elders voted in the election, and due to the security situation at the time not all areas of the District were represented. This week, the ten-fold increase in the number of voters to over 6000 has meant that all areas and all tribes of Nad-e Ali are represented on the newly-elected council. This has demonstrated not only the much- improved security situation in Nad-e Ali during the last three years, but also the confidence that the people place in the importance of the District Community Council.

The Helmand Deputy Provincial Governor, Helmand Provincial Council Members and the Nad-e Ali District Governor were present to support and observe these IDLG-administered elections

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About Catriona Laing

I was born in Cardiff but brought up in South London. I studied economics and joined the civil service through the Government Economic Service after 2.5 years working for the…

I was born in Cardiff but brought up in South London. I studied
economics and joined the civil service through the Government Economic
Service after 2.5 years working for the Government of Botswana as an
infrastructure economist.
I was posted to Kenya to advise on the government’s development
programmes in East Africa, and then seconded to the United Nations
Mission in Somalia heading the UN Development Office.
I spent five years working for Prime Minister Tony Blair in his
strategy unit, and was later posted to head the DFID office in Sudan
running a £116 million programme and addressing the drivers of conflict.
Most recently I have been working for the Ministry of Justice to
establish the new international function with responsibility for
European and international justice.
I live with my partner – Clive Bates and our Sudanese dog – in
Balham. My hobbies are yoga, dog and mountain walking and cooking.

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