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KABUL: The UN Security Council on Wednesday held a conference on Afghanistan, where its members exchanged views about the Afghan situation.
Talking to the conference the chargé d’affaires of Afghanistan’s permanent mission to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, appreciated Washington’s recent move of the issuing of the new general license for expanding the authorization of commercial activities in Afghanistan.
“I wish to request that the council members—the UN and donors–establish a monitoring and reporting mechanism to ensure transparent, accountable and effective implementation of any humanitarian project,” Faiq said.
The UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said that perhaps the worst fears over the humanitarian crisis were averted but any gains were short-term, and “only to buy a little time.”
She told the members of the UNSC that assisting the Afghan people will not be possible without working with the de facto authorities. She acknowledged this will be difficult for some, but it is essential.
But Lyons said that they are concerned by the “restrictions on women and girls’ fundamental rights, on extrajudicial killings, on enforced disappearances, on arbitrary detention, on respect for minorities, and on freedoms of assembly and expression.”
Lyons said that Islamic Emirate stated that their policy was Afghanistan does not become an arena for the competition.
Mariam Sapai, a civil rights activist, told the UNSC council that “as this council is well aware” there has been a rapid deterioration of women’s rights. She called on the international community to not trust the Islamic Emirate’s words but monitor its actions. According to Sapai, nearly 70 percent of media activities have been stopped and more than half of women employed become jobless. She called on the international community to watch the Islamic Emirate’s action not words. The Chinese envoy at the UN called for lifting sanctions on Afghanistan. He also criticized US President Joe Biden’s recent decision to direct the $3.5 billion Afghan assets to the victims of 9/11.
