Review of the Situation in Afghanistan in a Special Session of the United Nations Security Council

By Sayed Mohammad Raqib Fayaz

Bayan News – A special session of the United Nations Security Council was held on Tuesday evening (September 26) in Kabul time at the United Nations headquarters in New York. In this session, participating members spoke about Afghanistan.

Most participating members criticized the interim government’s policies towards Afghan women and girls and called for a change in the current government’s policies to engage more with the international community.

Karima Banoun, an international law specialist, stated in this session that she has been working in the field of Afghanistan for thirty years and has heard from many about the hardships Afghan women and girls face. Given the events that have occurred, the international community still does not know exactly what to do.

She reminded that after the Islamic Emirate took control of Afghanistan, 65 decrees were issued to restrict women and girls in the country, leading to arbitrary detentions.

Banoun stated clearly that the actions of the Islamic Emirate against women and girls are contrary to the United Nations Charter.

This international law specialist explicitly requested the international community to take steps beyond condemnation to change the current government’s behavior towards women and girls because the actions taken over the past two years have not yielded desirable results.

Vassily Nebenzia, the permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, criticized Western countries in this session for getting involved in Ukrainian issues and forgetting about the situation in Afghanistan.

He added that while women and girls in Afghanistan are under severe economic pressures, it is seen that billions of dollars are directed to Ukraine.

According to the permanent representative of Russia, the reduction of humanitarian aid from Western countries to Afghanistan is subject to criticism, as assistance efforts have decreased in other parts of the world, but billions of dollars are still being provided to Ukraine.

On the other hand, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, stated that although security has improved and opium cultivation has decreased in Afghanistan, the situation is still not suitable for Afghan women and girls.

She added, “We need to create more realistic options and focus on the expectations of the United Arab Emirates. We need a clear path and a coherent policy to engage with the ruling authorities, without going in a direction that only supports their (Islamic Emirate) power, despite the existing mistakes.”

The permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates at the United Nations reiterated that the unity of the international community regarding the situation in Afghanistan is important because the people are not responsible for the behavior of the Taliban, and it is the responsibility of the international community to ensure that the people of Afghanistan do not become victims of these issues.

So far, the officials of the interim government in Kabul have not responded to the concerns raised by the members of the United Nations Security Council.