INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In a briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General&s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva,
said UNAMA&s focus for the past few months has been to establish a political pathway to enable Afghanistan to be fully reintegrated in the
international system. However, she said &challenges remain& adding that &it is the responsibility of the de facto authorities to indicate
whether they want Afghanistan to be reintegrated into the international system and, if so, whether they are willing to take the necessary
steps. &The de facto authorities have so far treated the Afghan state&s international obligations selectively, rejecting some on the basis
they allegedly impinge on the country&s sovereignty or violate their traditions. &But to be very clear, these international obligations
affect not only the possibility of progress along the political pathway but, most crucially, the wellbeing of Afghanistan&s entire
population, whose voices must be included in the political pathway,& she said.Otunbayeva said while Afghans in the country have welcomed the
absence of conflict under Islamic Emirate rule, more and more are expressing concerns about Afghanistan&s further isolation from the rest of
&Afghans increasingly resent the intrusions on their private lives by the de facto authorities,& she said. She stated that Afghans continue
to face a severe humanitarian crisis defined by decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, climate-induced shocks, large population growth and
increasing protection risks, especially for women and girls. In 2025, more than 50 percent of the population — some 23 million people —
require humanitarian assistance
But this assistance is rapidly decreasing.&The defunding of assistance is already having and will continue to have a significant impact on
In the past month, more than 200 health facilities have closed, impacting some 1.8 million people, essential malnutrition services for
children have been limited and implementing partners have significantly reduced their footprint and coordination capacity,& she
stated.Otunbayeva added that despite the challenges Afghan women face, they have continued to meaningfully and comprehensively participate
in the humanitarian response
Humanitarian partners remain committed to upholding the principle of women&s participation.She also noted that while there have been some
instances of interference in aid delivery, the Islamic Emirate authorities in Kabul and in the provinces &have generally cooperated with the
UN and partners to enable provision of assistance and resolve cases of interference&.Otunbayeva touched on the state of the economy and said
while it grew around 2.7 percent in 2024, the current growth cannot compensate for the drop in foreign aid and the growing population. &In
the longer term, the de facto authorities& positive vision of economic self-sufficiency cannot reach its full potential unless ongoing
obstacles to its reintegration into the international system are resolved.&She went on to highlight a number of challenges including those
relating to human rights, women&s rights, and girls& education adding that UNAMA has also been closely observing the Islamic Emirate&s
enforcement of its Law on the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue and its negative economic effects and impacts on Afghans& human
rights and private lives.&The law demonstrates the de facto authorities& prioritization of ideology over international obligations
It remains a major impediment to implementing the political pathway needed to reintegrate Afghanistan into the international community,& she
said.Otunbayeva went on to state that the &space for engagement is narrowing
There is a growing frustration on the part of some key international stakeholders that political engagement is not working.&She questioned
how the UN could move forward but said the mechanisms to address the issues that prevent Afghanistan&s reintegration with the international
community are in place today. However, &the most helpful development would be a clear signal from the de facto authorities they are
committed to the reintegration of Afghanistan with the international community with all that it implies,&she said.Washington&s envoy to the
UN, Dorothy Shea, also addressed the security council and said: &The security threat emanating from Afghanistan is a continuing driver of
regional instability.&She said the US is calling on the IEA to abide by their counterterrorism commitments.&The United States is skeptical
of the Taliban&s (IEA) willingness to engage in good faith in the Doha Process
We cannot build confidence with a group that unjustly detains Americans, has a long history of harboring terrorist groups on its soil, and
ignores the basic rights and needs of its own people.&The Chinese ambassador called on the Islamic Emirate to suppress terrorist groups in
Afghanistan while Pakistan and Russia both expressed concern about the weapons that were left behind during the US troop
withdrawal.Pakistan&s envoy to the UN, Munir Akram added that the presence of several terrorist groups in Afghanistan is a threat to the
entire region.&Unfortunately, while fighting ISIS, the Kabul authorities are indifferent to containing other groups that pose a threat to
the region and the world, such as Al-Qaeda, TTP, Baloch Liberation Army and Majid terrorist organization, all of which are present in
Afghanistan.&TTP, with more than 6,000 troops, is the largest terrorist group inside Afghanistan and has launched many attacks against
They have advanced weapons left behind by foreign soldiers in Afghanistan,& he said.In response, the Islamic Emirate says it has always
tried to interact with the world, but some countries create obstacles.Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, says that
UN decisions should not be influenced by big countries.The IEA has also repeatedly said it will not allow terrorist organizations the
threaten another country from Afghanistan
Authorities have also repeatedly dismissed claims of US weapons falling into the hands of foreign terrorist groups. The IEA has said all
weapons and military equipment that was left behind by the US during their withdrawal are in the possession of the Islamic Emirate and are
protected. The post UNAMA chief briefs Security Council on Afghanistan situation first appeared on Ariana News.
