The Taliban have welcomed the one-year extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMA) in Afghanistan, hoping the move will revive relations with the international community.
The Taliban position came on Saturday despite criticism from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his call for the movement to lift all restrictions on girls' access to education immediately.
On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of UNAMA until March 17, 2025, highlighting the UN’s crucial role in promoting peace, stability and inclusive governance in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban, said Afghanistan needs to foster diplomatic relations with international organizations, especially the UN, and the international community, adding that UNAMA can contribute in this regard.
However, he condemned “unfair pressures” on Afghanistan and reiterated the demand that frozen Afghan assets be released.
The UN and the Taliban authorities have still not agreed on the appointment of a UN special envoy to Afghanistan. The Security Council had adopted a resolution last December calling for the appointment of an envoy for the country to coordinate engagement between Kabul and the international community.
Guterres’ Report
In a report to the Security Council, Guterres said that not withstanding the complex challenges, there remains a potential future in which Afghanistan is able to achieve sustained economic growth by promoting trade and transit with the neighboring countries, thus reducing its dependence on foreign aid, as well as the end state described in Security Council Resolution 2721.
He said Afghanistan could return as a country at peace with itself and its neighbors, fully integrated into the international community and meeting its international obligations.
The UN chief then referred to the independent assessment of the Special Coordinator, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, who took comprehensive stock of the current situation and offers a way forward that will require commitment and compromises from all stakeholders.
Guterres praised the “overall consensus that the international community was united in its continued engagement on Afghanistan, and in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner.”
He said the de facto authorities are making efforts to present their policy directions through the drafting of a “domestic and foreign policy approach” led by de facto Deputy Prime Minister, Abdul Kabir, who has conducted consultations with de facto officials as well as with ulema and elders.
Also, Guterres said: “Despite dwindling financial resources and competing priorities, the need for assistance funding to support the people of Afghanistan has further increased due to the earthquakes, large-scale returns of Afghans from Pakistan, and persistent drought.”
He added that the UN continues to deliver vital humanitarian assistance in a principled manner to the country’s most vulnerable communities.
“I implore donors to urgently renew their support for the 23.7 million people in need of life-saving responses,” he said. “I also reiterate my appeal to the de facto authorities to rescind their restrictive measures imposed on Afghan female aid workers and Afghan female staff of the United Nations in order to facilitate the reach and effectiveness of humanitarian operations.”
The UN chief then tackled the issue of drugs in Afghanistan. “The drug ban by the de facto authorities resulted in a large reduction in opium cultivation but also led to a vast loss of income for farmers, which, compounded by the absence of alternative income sources, has the potential to incentivize some farmers to revert to p oppy cultivation,” he said.
Girls’ Education
In his report, Guterres said the accessibility and quality of education for girls in Afghanistan remain deeply concerning.
“As the ban on secondary schooling for girls remains, the start of the new school year in March will be another day of grief for Afghan girls and for the world,” he noted.
Therefore, the UN chief reiterated his call for the immediate reversal of the ban.
He said the continued restrictions of the de facto authorities against women and girls, including the arrest and detention of women and girls for not observing hijab, are unacceptable.
“Such actions are in direct violation of their fundamental human rights and carry enormous stigma for women and girls in Afghan culture, creating a chilling effect among the wider female population who are now afraid to move in public,” Guterres added.
