The United Nations has urged sustained international engagement with Afghanistan five years into Taliban rule, warning that restrictions on women and terrorism concerns risk undermining gains from improved security.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on 13 August that reduced conflict had brought “tangible benefits” for many Afghans and created opportunities for recovery and regional cooperation.
It also highlighted the ban on opium poppy cultivation as a positive step.
Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge of UNAMA, said Afghans value stability after decades of conflict.
“The last five years have shown that Afghans deeply value peace and stability after decades of war,” Gagnon said.
However, UNAMA said restrictions on women and girls, alongside concerns about terrorism, remain major obstacles to Afghanistan’s recovery and international reintegration.
Gagnon said lasting stability would require more than an end to widespread conflict. She said: “sustainable peace and prosperity require more than just an absence of conflict. Afghanistan’s future depends on building a society in which the rights and potential of all Afghans are realised and institutions are responsive and accountable.”
UNAMA called on authorities in Kabul to remove restrictions on women and girls, protect fundamental freedoms and address international security concerns.
It said the UN has continued to engage with the authorities since 2021 through humanitarian assistance, basic services and work on political and human rights issues.
Taliban officials have previously rejected criticism of their policies on women, saying rights are protected within their interpretation of Islamic law.
In a separate statement on 13 August, UN human rights experts warned against normalising Taliban rule without progress on human rights.
They said a generation of girls had missed out on secondary education as restrictions on women and girls had deepened. More than 17 million people faced food insecurity during the past winter, they added.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said...
Georgia could gain a direct electricity link to Europe under plans for a new overland energy corridor connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye ...
Türkiye has unveiled plans for joint military exercises and defence production with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan under a new security pact that i...
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Iran says the U.S. war and military presence in the region have worsened marine pollution around the Strait of Hormuz, calling for environmental protection to form part of future arrangements governing the strategic waterway.
Georgia could gain a direct electricity link to Europe under plans for a new overland energy corridor connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and Bulgaria, potentially reshaping regional power flows.
Türkiye has unveiled plans for joint military exercises and defence production with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan under a new security pact that includes a collective defence clause.
Uzbekistan will allow eligible businesses to operate for up to three months without a licence or permit under a new regime aimed at cutting barriers to market entry and attracting investment.
Pakistan is seeking a cut of up to 50 per cent in the price of Iranian gas and lower supply volumes under the long-stalled Iran-Pakistan pipeline, as Islamabad looks to revive the project despite U.S. sanctions risks.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment