The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan's relative stability may not be sustainable unless the country's current authorities change policies affecting women, the economy and regional security.
Briefing the United Nations Security Council on Monday, Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said engagement with the Afghan authorities remained necessary but did not imply recognition.
She said Afghanistan was not facing any major armed or political challenge to the current authorities. However, she warned that the country's future remained uncertain.
"The longer-term scenarios for Afghanistan, however, depend largely on internal dynamics within the de facto authorities' governing structure," Gagnon said.
"For now, what exists is increasing control by the de facto authorities without a clear end-state," she added.
Gagnon said the return of migrants was placing pressure on Afghanistan's already fragile economy.
"Afghans are returning to communities and an economy that cannot fully reintegrate them," she said.
According to the UN, nearly 5.9 million people have returned to Afghanistan since 2023. Gagnon said an estimated 3.8 million girls aged between seven and 18 were not attending school.
She said restrictions on women's education and employment were causing long-term damage to Afghanistan's economy and society.
The Security Council meeting came as members prepared to discuss the renewal of UNAMA's mandate, which was last extended for three months.
The U.S. questioned the mission's cost and effectiveness. Jeffrey Bartos, the U.S. representative for UN Management and Reform, said: "All missions, including UNAMA, must provide value for money and must adapt to conditions on the ground."
He also called on Council members to condemn the Taliban for sheltering terrorist groups and failing to meet counterterrorism commitments.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, said the political reality in Afghanistan had changed and that the current UN sanctions regime should take this into account. India also condemned Pakistan's air strikes inside Afghanistan.
China and Russia supported continued engagement with Afghanistan, while China also called for secondary schools for girls to reopen.
AnewZ reached out to the Afghan authorities for comment on the UNSC meeting but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
The death of a laboratory employee at a Russian plague research institute in Siberia has triggered a major public health response and international...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of a deadly drone strike on a Türkiye-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea, killing it...
Regional powers gathered in Moscow on Monday for talks on Afghanistan, focusing on security, economic cooperation and Kabul’s relations with ...
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
Regional powers gathered in Moscow on Monday for talks on Afghanistan, focusing on security, economic cooperation and Kabul’s relations with its neighbours.
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partnership and add to tensions between Tbilisi and its European partners.
The U.S. has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to the Gulf, protecting key energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as Washington expands its military presence in the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks in Tehran on Monday on bilateral ties and efforts to strengthen peace and security in the South Caucasus.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it has conveyed its initial position to the United States through Qatar over Washington’s response to Tehran’s seven-day plan aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment