The situation in Afghanistan - Security Council, 10058th meeting

Good morning. The 10058th meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is the situation in Afghanistan. The agenda is adopted. In accordance with rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Afghanistan, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Kazakhstan to participate in this meeting. It is so decided. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Officer-in-Charge of HUNAPMA; Mr. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; and Ms. Neghin Ayari, Founder and Executive Director of the Window for Hope Network. It is so decided. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item 2 of the agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council’s members to document S/2025/789, the report of the Secretary General on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security. I now give the floor to Ms. Georgette Gagnon. Please.

Madam President, today the world marks Human Rights Day, a reminder of the enduring relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its promise of dignity, equality, and justice for all. The Afghan people continue to endure multiple crises, and their resilience, while clear, is under severe strain. Their situation demands both urgent attention and greater international support. Women and girls continue to be systematically excluded from almost all aspects of public life. The ban on secondary and tertiary education for girls persists now into its fourth year, depriving Afghanistan of female doctors, entrepreneurs, teachers, and leaders critical to the country today and for its future. Media freedom is increasingly restricted. Journalists face intimidation, detention, and censorship, reducing the space for public debate and public participation, with people excluded from decisions on their own future. Afghans, women and men, continue to experience systematic infringements into their daily lives through the enforcement of the de facto authority's law on the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice. The deteriorating human rights situation is not the only crisis affecting the Afghan people. The country continues to face a grave humanitarian crisis, with more humanitarian support needed. More than 23 million Afghans, over half the population, continue to require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Their needs are staggering and growing. At the same time, thousands of Afghans each month have returned from Iran and Pakistan. some under duress. The return of nearly 2.5 million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 represents a 6% population increase, compounding the deep-rooted economic, climate, and humanitarian crises the country already faces. Many returnees arrive with few possessions, destined for host communities that are ill-equipped to receive them, and an economy insufficiently robust to provide them with jobs and basic services. According to the World Bank, while GDP growth this year is expected to reach around 4.5%, the per capita income will fall by about 4% due to the population increase. This would be the third straight year of declining per capita GDP. The de facto authorities have set the objective of economic self-sufficiency. using Afghanistan's geographical position to increase transit trade, as well as increasing production of goods in Afghanistan. This is outlined in the recently released National Development Strategy. The private sector is also one of the few areas where women have some freedom to work. But the overall self-sufficiency project is undermined by other policies that create political risks that hinder investment. Ideological restrictions also impede economic activity for women in particular, but also for men. Many women and girls returning to Afghanistan have skills and capabilities that could help lift the economy. They will not be allowed to. The de facto authorities continue to prevent UN female national staff from accessing UN premises countrywide. This violates their human rights and the United Nations Charter, and is a barrier to our ability to deliver on the mandate this Council has given to us. We have consistently raised this unacceptable situation with de facto leaders. We need your further support to ensure this situation does not become normalized. Madam President, Successive droughts and land degradation, compounded by struggling economy and population pressures, are devastating agricultural production in a country where most livelihoods depend on it. The de facto authorities' ban on opium cultivation, welcomed by the international community, is now implemented for the third straight year. As UNODC recently reported, rural incomes have dropped by 48%, with farmers trying to manage the transition from an opium to licit crops of value. As part of the Doha process, UN agencies, the de facto authorities, donors, and regional countries, and Afghan experts have worked together in the Counter-Narcotics Working Group on an action plan to advance alternative livelihoods. More funding and technical assistance are required to implement the action plan. Counter-narcotics is a no-risk issue for the international community. Everyone benefits from addressing it. Everyone suffers from not supporting counter-narcotics efforts. Madam President, Afghanistan's security situation is outwardly calm. Millions of Afghans have enjoyed a period of relative stability and absence of war-related violence not seen in a generation. However, tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the presence and activities of the TTP are rising, with deadly cross-border exchanges of fire and airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties. The tensions have led to the closing of key border posts between Afghanistan and Pakistan for the past two months, with economic consequences for Afghanistan and Pakistan and people on both sides. We welcome Pakistan's recent decision to allow humanitarian supplies for the Afghan people to cross the border. We also welcome efforts of countries in the region to find a solution through dialogue. We urge the parties to address the core issues and for both sides to respect the ceasefire in place. Afghanistan's de facto authorities continue to miss or reject opportunities to engage multilaterally with the international community, risking disengagement, particularly from donor countries that are increasingly frustrated with Afghanistan's refusal to seriously address their concerns. In UNAMA's briefing to this Council in September, We raised the issue of whether the de facto authorities had sufficient pragmatism to address the multiple crises the country is facing. Shortly after, the Taliban leader ordered the shutdown of all telecommunications, including the cell phone network and internet. This had a wide-ranging, and in some cases, life-threatening implications for people in Afghanistan, including delayed or no access to health care and emergency services, disruption of people's daily and family lives, exacerbation of existing restrictions on women and girls, and severe disruption of business, banking, humanitarian, and air operations. The diplomatic community in Kabul was suddenly isolated from their capitals. The impact of this unprepared and unannounced decision was so disruptive that it was reversed by the more pragmatic faction of the de facto authorities. This incident provides a vivid snapshot of the general situation in Afghanistan. On the one hand, there is among the de facto authorities a faction that would isolate Afghanistan from the world. On the other, there is a faction that understands Afghanistan is connected to the world, as are Afghans, and that the country cannot survive without these links, which should be developed. Our common objective is clearly stated in the 2023 Independent Assessment and in Security Council Resolution 27/21 of 2023: an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbors, fully reintegrated into the international community, and meeting its international obligations. Let me stress The objective is not reintegration of Afghanistan under the de facto authorities as they currently are. It is reintegration once they have met their international obligations. The United Nations remains committed to principled and pragmatic engagement, guided by respect for international obligations, inclusive governance, and counterterrorism commitments. The United Nations has proposed a political roadmap as part of the Doha process to achieve this objective. The roadmap seeks to initiate progress on the major issues blocking Afghanistan's reintegration into the international community, as described in the independent assessment. We do not underestimate the challenges ahead. We have already noted the reluctance of the de facto authorities to engage in a multilateral process. We must also acknowledge the divergent positions within the international community that reduce international leverage. As the Secretary General said during the first meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan in Doha in May 2023, we expect that not all interests align, but we do need to maintain some basic common positions. These issues and interests, the gaps between the international community and the de facto authorities, and among member states themselves, are not easy to reconcile. Promoting unity and overcoming these obstacles are the subject of our daily diplomacy with all stakeholders. While they are demanding, we must not collectively lose sight of the main objective. Despite the serious issues described, the serious crises described, an opportunity exists to build on the current relative stability to begin resolving the root causes of these crises. With the Council’s support, we can continue to build bridges of engagement and work toward our common vision of an Afghanistan at peace, reintegrated into the global community, and where the human rights of all Afghans are realized and respected. Thank you, Madam President, and members of the Council.

I thank Ms. Gagnon for her briefing, and I now give the floor to Mr. Tom Fletcher.

Thank you, Madam President. I'll focus today on two key issues: the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the latest on the humanitarian exception to resolution 2615. As I witnessed when I visited Kabul, Kandahar and Kunduz earlier this year, overlapping shocks, restrictive policies affecting women and girls, the long-standing impact of decades of conflict and chronic poverty, and as of this year, massive funding cuts, have left Afghanistan in severe humanitarian crisis. Nearly 22 million people will need our help in 2026. That's third only to Sudan and Yemen in scale. Our ask is $1.7 billion to target 17.5 million people. But in response to the funding reality, we have further hyper-prioritized our plan to target 3.9 million people in the most urgent need of life-saving help. For the first time in four years, the number of people facing hunger has gone up, now reaching 17.4 million. Essential services, already insufficient and uneven across the country, are stretched to breaking point as Afghan refugees return in record numbers. Over 2.6 million Afghans returned in 2025, bringing the number who've returned in the last two years to over 4 million. And the situation for those returnees as they come back is particularly precarious. Many arrive with few possessions. They're hosted in already distressed communities that are ill-equipped to receive them, and in an economy that cannot provide for them. Women and children made-up 60% of all returns this year. And of course, they're returning to a country where women and girls are denied opportunities to study, work, or even in some cases receive health care. With 2.5 million Afghans in Pakistan, a large majority of whom have recently seen their legal status in-country revoked, the potential impact of further mass returns is alarming. Madam President, In August, and then again in November, Afghanistan experienced two major earthquakes, which killed thousands of people, damaged thousands of homes, and destroyed entire villages. In addition, drought conditions have engulfed the country, continuing into the winter months and directly hitting 3.4 million people, but also leading to lower crop production and accelerated groundwater depletion. Madam President, despite limited funding, the UN and our partners have continued to deliver as best we can. Through the OCHA-managed Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF, and my thanks to all of you who announced contributions to the 2026 fund yesterday, we've released over $40 million in additional funding to support the surge in returns, the earthquake response, and anticipatory action, that's where we prepare for future shocks, to stave off the worst effects of the drought. However, increasing human rights restrictions, particularly on Afghan women staff, have made life for Afghans even more difficult and created extra burdens on the implementation of our work. I look forward to hearing more on this challenge from Ms. Nagini Yari in just a few moments. In early September, as you’ve heard, national women UN staff were barred from entering UN compounds. Unacceptable. Over three months later, these restrictions remain. Unacceptable. Both men and women colleagues continue to help their affected communities, but the absence of women from the workplace serves as yet another tragic reminder of the unacceptable restrictions that Afghan women continue to face. I want to thank our outstanding women colleagues who do such extraordinary work on all of our behalf. In late October, a further restriction was imposed. Almost all National Women humanitarian workers were prohibited from operating at the Islam Qala reception centre along the Iranian border, where thousands of returns have been reported daily. This has limited women's access to essential protection and health services. We've secured the resumption of work for a small number of female health staff, and limited lifesaving health services have been restored, but other operations still remain suspended. So I echo the call from the Secretary General for the de facto authorities to remove all these restrictions immediately and to let female staff work safely, fully, and meaningfully across all areas of our work. We need them. Afghanistan needs them. And we must also increase the proportion of our funding and our support that goes to women-led organizations. Madam President, I turn now to resolution 2615 and the regular report, our eighth briefing to the Council on the report. Food, water, medicine, shelter, and other help has continued to reach the people of Afghanistan thanks to this resolution's humanitarian exception, which has eased suffering and saved lives. As previously reported, the exception covers operational payments necessary for humanitarian support, including rent on state-owned premises, the withholding of taxes on NGO staff income, and utilities such as water and electricity. It allows payment for visas and work permits, security for UN compounds and movements, fees essential for delivering support, including imports and landing, and licenses for NGO registration, communications equipment, and municipal charges. The UN is exempt from paying taxes in Afghanistan, but these are routine costs across all humanitarian operations in place since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. They are indispensable for the normal conduct of humanitarian operations. Madam President, we're working in an incredibly complex environment, operational, financial, reputational risks. These include pressures to amend local beneficiary lists, bureaucratic, administrative impediments that slow delivery of our aid, manoeuvres to influence staff and contractor selection, restrictions, as we've set out, on Afghan women staff, and always the potential risk of the diversion of aid. We're aware of these risks, of course, and we work to mitigate them. We are continually strengthening our risk mitigation systems. building capacity, and ensuring that any reported issues are quickly and transparently investigated and addressed. The humanitarian community is constantly striving to ensure that help effectively supports intended recipients while minimizing waste, fraud, and abuse. We're taking steps to prevent diversion in all our operations, applying standards in line with best practices. In the past year, we further strengthened those risk mitigation efforts. By developing multiple risk management frameworks, including in the case of agencies, funds and programs, and regularly updating and integrating elements into Afghanistan's common risk mitigation matrix. We're also strengthening post distribution monitoring, for example, by ensuring that 15% of cash transfers are fully audited to ensure against irregularities. We're applying biometric authentication, ID checks, against vetted recipient lists as a standard practice. We're digitizing cash distribution tools to reduce the risks of manipulation. We're vetting and rescreening financial service providers, and we're developing interagency complaint and feedback mechanisms to allow beneficiaries to report suspected diversion. And if diversion is detected, agencies halt distributions, They engage with de facto authorities at regional and central levels, and those operations then resume only when strict compliance criteria are met. Through all of these measures, it's my clear view that engagement with the de facto authorities at local and central levels is critical to preserve the impartiality of our response and the independence of contractor, partner, and staff selection processes. All these steps together directly support the effective implementation of UNSCR 2615. Madam President, as we reach the end of the year, underfunding has forced service closures and resulted in scaled-back assistance to millions. Ultimately, it has cost lives. Some specifics: this winter, the first in years with almost no international food distribution. As a result, about a million of the most vulnerable people only have received food assistance during the lean season in 2025. And for comparison, that was 5.6 million this time last year, now down to a million. 1.1 million children are now missing out on essential life-saving nutrition, as 305 nutrition delivery points have been closed, with 3.7 million children in need of nutrition, including 1.7 million at risk of death if not treated, the results will be catastrophic. 1.7 million at risk of death. 422 health facilities were closed in 2025, leaving 3 million without access to lifesaving care. So we're grateful to all of you who've continued to support Afghanistan. But as we look to 2026, we risk a further contraction of lifesaving help. at a time when food insecurity, health needs, a strain on basic services, and protection risks are all rising. To close, Madam President, three requests of the Council. First, continue to support the implementation of UNSCR 2615. The clarity it provides remains vital for our humanitarian action. Second, and I cannot stress this strongly enough, insist that women humanitarian staff can do their jobs without restrictions. There can be no effective response without them. This must be non-negotiable. And third, fund the Global Humanitarian Overview appeal that I launched on Monday. We're looking for $23 billion globally to save 87 million lives, including many inside Afghanistan. Otherwise, humanitarians will be forced to make even more brutal, deeper cuts, with devastating consequences for the Afghan population. Thank you.

I thank Mr. Fletcher for his briefing. And I now give the floor to Ms. Neghinayari, please.

President, Excellencies, thank you for the opportunity to address you today. My name is Neghinayari. And I'm the founder and executive director of Window for Hope, a network of women-led organizations operating in 26 provinces across Afghanistan. I come from one of Afghanistan's most remote province, a place where access to education was once only a distant hope. Yet, over the past two decades, I went to school, completed university, and led national initiative. with one purpose, to contribute to a brighter future for my country. Despite having the same potential, millions of Afghan women and girls are now denied their human rights under the Taliban rule. Today marks International Human Rights Day, but in Afghanistan, the human rights situation continue to worsen, with UN reports of public executions, corporal punishment, torture, targeting of ethnics and religious minorities, and shrinking civic space, among many other violations. Virtually every right of Afghan women to learn, to work, to participate in public and political life has been gradually extinguished. They have been reduced to recipient of aid and a state of architects of their own lives. And now, even their ability to access aid is in danger. My remarks today will focus on one issue: the Taliban's restrictions on women humanitarian workers. Within the 135 edicts imposed by the Taliban targeting women and girls, the increasing restrictions on aid workers are having a devastating impact on the lives of women and girls. In December 2021, the Taliban banned women from traveling, including to health care centers and to deliver humanitarian aid without a mahram. In December 2022, the Taliban ordered national and international NGOs to suspend all Afghan women employees. In April 2023, they further banned Afghan women from working for the UN. In December 2024, the Taliban banned women from medical education. In September, the Taliban banned national female staff from entering UN compounds. In November, the Taliban demanded that all women, including patients, and all women staff, from cleaners to surgeons, wear a burqa in order to enter medical facilities in Herat. Ahead of this briefing, Window for Hope interviewed 256 women from across Afghanistan. What I share with you today is not just my opinion, but their voices, their pain, and their truth. The women we interviewed were clear: these draconian restrictions imposed on all Afghan women staff endanger the future of humanitarian operations across Afghanistan. Excellencies, Let me explain what this means in stark terms. In a country where 22.9 million Afghans are in need of humanitarian aid, 5.7 million of whom are women, and where only 37% of the fund needed to deliver that aid are available. Restrictions on women aid workers means one thing: The millions of women and girls who depend on them will be at greater risk of harm, including death. They will lose access to life-saving medical services, be a greater risk of malnutrition, and face increased rates of gender-based violence and forced marriage. The Taliban's shifting restrictions undermine the rule of law and normalize rights violation as routine governance. These policies do not merely restrict women. They violate their human rights, endanger lives, and threaten Afghanistan's long-term stability. In Jalojan province, a woman aid worker told us that the public humiliation and physical assault of women by PVPV officers left her exhausted and undermined her ability to work. In Paktia, because of the absence of female aid workers, And the limited presence of female nurses due to mahram policy, women cannot safely share their concern with male staff, aid workers, or physicians. This means they cannot receive appropriate assistance, even when it might be available. In Maidan Wardak, with no woman aid workers, the Taliban have eliminated biometric registrations for female beneficiaries. cutting women off from the ability to register for or receive aid. The result is a system where aid is delivered by men, to men, for men. In Herat, the new restrictions requiring all women to wear a burqa in order to enter medical facilities has already led to a sharp drop in access to care. This year, The 2.6 million people who were forcibly returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan, at least 70% were women and children. Previously, there were over 100 women aid staff assist them when they arrive at the Islam Qala border crossing. But now, since the ban on Afghan women aid workers there, less than 10 staff are still allowed to work, and only under full burqa requirements. The situation is so extreme that the UN took the unusual step of temporarily suspending its aid operation at Islam Qala. The women we interviewed described how the Taliban's removal of female UN staff from their workplace has created severe operational challenges. Women's needs are invisible. Confidential compliance mechanisms for women have been eliminated. And with women enabled to report violations safely to other female staff, misconduct and aid diversion are likely to go unchecked. Aid must reach all Afghans in need, but humanitarian actors are being forced to make impossible choices, either to suspend operation entirely or operate without women, both which have unbearable consequences. Excellencies, let me be clear. The human rights crisis in Afghanistan is inseparable from the humanitarian crisis. No amount of aid will address the extreme system of gender apartheid women and girls are facing every day under Taliban rule. Only respect for human rights, justice, and accountability can do that. But allowing the Taliban's discriminatory laws and repressive practices to also dictate how humanitarians, including the UN, INGOs, and others carry out their work, not only undermines humanitarian principle, it adds to the harm by further entrenching women's exclusion. Effective and principled delivery of humanitarian aid cannot be achieved without women. In 2023, When the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for the UN, the Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the ban. Yet, as the Taliban escalated their gender apartheid policies, this Council has largely been silent. We need you to be clear that these bans are illegal, unacceptable, and cannot continue. I therefore urge you to do the following. demand that the Taliban immediately reverse all restrictions on women's rights, including on their ability to participate in humanitarian delivery. Afghan women staff must be allowed to work safely for the UN, INGOs, and local organization. All humanitarian actors, include donors, must consistently uphold humanitarian principles. They must not comply with policies that exclude women. They must not operate with male-only teams. They must not accept any Taliban interference in hiring, salaries, or beneficiary selection. All Afghan women must be paid. Prioritize support for Afghanistan's courageous women human rights defenders, both inside Afghanistan and in exile. There must be expedited resettlement pathways for those at risk, sustained and flexible funding for women-led organization, and meaningful consultations with Afghanistan human rights community. When the Taliban violate international law, including women's human rights, there must be consequences. Hold the Taliban leaders accountable through both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. and ensure that the newly created independent investigative mechanism is fully resourced. As Afghan women have demanded, make gender apartheid an international crime, impose targeted sanctions on Taliban’s leaders responsible for grave violations against Afghan women and girls, and do not lift sanctions or grant travel exemptions on individuals complicit in these abuses. Do not grant the Taliban a seat at the UN or any other forum. Looking ahead to March, renew UNMO’s mandate in full and insist on its effective implementation, especially the provision that supports protection of women’s rights, and ensure that UNMO continues to report regularly on the situation of women and girls. Finally, Demand that Afghan women can meaningfully participate in all discussions about our country's future, including in the Mosaic process. Excellencies, we are not asking for charity. We are demanding our rights. Afghanistan has no future until its women are free. I thank you.

I thank Ms. Yari for her briefing. And I shall now make a statement in my capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia. I wish to thank the USG Fletcher and Deputy SRSG Gagnon for her briefings, their briefings. My sincere appreciation also goes to Ms. Negina Jari for sharing her insightful remarks. Today, we mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Human rights are universal, are inalienable, indivisible, and interdependent. Yet, the world's most severe human rights crisis serves as a painful reminder that the universality of rights remains far from realized. As this is our last UNAMA briefing as a Council member, I would like to reflect on Slovenia’s two years membership and highlight the following key points on Afghanistan. We have consistently expressed our deep dismay about the dire situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. The international community must not leave them alone. The actions we take, or fail to take, for all Afghan women and girls will shape how we are perceived collectively as a global community. I believe that this Council is united in rejecting restrictive, draconian policies that violate their basic rights. We have supported engagement with the Taliban on the clear and non-negotiable basis of their international obligations, including respect for the rights of women and girls. Over the past two years, however, we have observed no indication of willingness from the Taliban to resolve this most pressing crisis. On the contrary, They have deliberately worsened the situation by imposing policies and practices that place additional constraints on women, which is entirely unacceptable. Today, we therefore reiterate our call on the Taliban to immediately reverse all such policies and practices, which we condemn to the strongest terms. including the ban on Afghan women working for and entering UN premises. We will continue to call for full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women and girls in all spheres of public life, for their right to education, health care, and employment, and for their freedom of movement, expression, and assembly. Likewise, we will continue to support UNAMA's presence in Afghanistan. I commend UNAMA for all activities it has been undertaking under such challenging circumstances. Its human rights mandate is essential to monitoring, documenting, and reporting human rights violations and abuses. We therefore urge this Council to reaffirm its commitment to human rights when UNAMA’s mandate comes up for renewal in March. Without the protection and the respect of human rights of all Afghans, a peaceful, secure and prosperous Afghanistan will remain only a distant aspiration. The enduring multidimensional crisis continues to generate humanitarian needs unparalleled in scale, severity, and complexity. And the dire humanitarian situation is increasingly compounded by unprecedented involuntary returns of Afghans from neighboring states, limited access to essential services, acute food insecurity, chronic poverty, and pressing vulnerability to natural hazards and climate shocks. The consequences of the earthquakes in August and November are devastating. This unrelenting pressure of the humanitarian crisis has profound repercussions for overall stability of Afghanistan. In conclusion, Let me stress that, despite the continuously regressive developments in Afghanistan, Slovenia, like most international partners, remains steady to support the Afghan people on their path to a better future. Sustainable solutions to Afghanistan’s multifaced challenges are impossible without ensuring the full and equal enjoyment of human rights for all. I thank you. And I resume my function as President of the Council. I now give the floor to the representative of China, please.

Thank you, Madam President. First, I welcome your presiding over today's meeting. I thank USG Fletcher, Deputy Special Representative Gagnon, and Ms. Yari for their briefings. At present, the situation in Afghanistan remains largely stable, and the Afghan government is actively developing its economy, countering narcotics, and conducting foreign exchanges. At the same time, Afghanistan still faces complex and daunting challenges on the humanitarian and counterterrorism fronts. which require the collective response of the Afghan government and the international community. As this year draws to a close, it is necessary for us to take stock of the past and identify the priorities and directions for the new year. I wish to share the following observations. First, sustaining the momentum of engagement between the international community and the Afghan government is all the more necessary. Recently, regional countries have had close contacts with the top leadership of Afghanistan, indicating their commitment to maintaining regional stability and promoting economic integration and development. The regional cooperation mechanisms on Afghanistan have been productive, and the two working groups of the UN-led Doha process have also made positive progress. We need to safeguard the hard-won results of cooperation and the foundation for mutual trust, keep strengthening the engagement and dialogue with the Afghan government, communicate with each other frankly on issues of mutual concern, and build consensus to help move the situation in Afghanistan towards continuous improvement. The Security Council should, in light of the changing dynamics, timely adjust the 1988 sanctions regime and promptly reinstate the package of exemption arrangements for travel bans in order to create conditions for facilitating engagement. One certain country should not block the legitimate and necessary international exchanges of Afghan Government in the 1988 Committee. Supporting Afghanistan in addressing the humanitarian and development plight is imperative. The SG’s report has warned that, as also mentioned by USG Tom Fletcher, due to factors such as foreign aid cuts, frequent natural disasters, and refugee returns, The already dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan risks being expanded and prolonged. Over 30 million Afghans are living in extreme poverty, with barely one dollar per day. The international community needs to mobilize urgent actions to help Afghanistan pull through the humanitarian crisis and get back on its own feet. It is important to oppose the politicization of aid issues. and urge traditional donors, especially those that are historically responsible for what happened in the country, to immediately resume and increase financial commitment. The relevant countries should immediately and unconditionally unfreeze and return the overseas assets of the Afghan Central Bank and lift unlawful unilateral sanctions. The relevant working groups of the Doha process should produce more practical results in areas such as rebuilding the financial system and developing alternative cultivation, to help Afghanistan unlock its development potentials and bring tangible benefits to the local community. Third, the fundamental rights and interests of all Afghans should be guaranteed. Ensuring women's equal rights to access education, healthcare, employment, and to participate in public life is not only the universal consensus of the community of nations. but also a necessary step to improve people’s well-being and a basic requirement for lasting stability and peace. Thus, in the long-term and fundamental interest of Afghanistan, we call on the Afghan Government to heed the voice of reason of the international community and the Afghan people to effectively guarantee the fundamental rights and interests of all its people, including women. The Afghan female staff of UNAMA play an indispensable role, including in humanitarian relief. We hope that the Afghan Government can put the interests of their people first by allowing them to return to work as soon as possible, facilitating the mandate delivery by UNAMA, and demonstrating an open, inclusive, and responsible image. Fourth. Eradicating the terrorist forces in Afghanistan is the strong expectation of the international community. The relevant UN report indicates that while some progress has been made by the Afghan government in countering ISIS-K, terrorist groups such as ETIM and TPP continue to be active in the country, orchestrating and executing attacks against neighboring countries. Terrorism is a cancerous menace to the stability and development of Afghanistan. We urge the Afghan Government to correctly assess the counterterrorism issue and earnestly fulfill its counterterrorism commitments by eradicating all terrorist forces present on its soil through more resolute and forceful forceful actions in order to win the trust and confidence of the regional countries and international community. To counter this common enemy of humanity that is terrorism, the international community should enhance unity and cooperation, abandon ideological biases and geopolitical calculations, and reject selectivity and double standards. President, days ago, Some Chinese nationals were killed and injured in an attack at the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. China strongly condemns this attack and demands that the Afghan side conduct full and thorough investigations and promptly arrest and severely punish the perpetrators. We call upon Tajikistan and Afghanistan to take robust measures to strengthen border control and better protect the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions. China is ready to work with all sides to To better leverage regional mechanisms, such as the mechanism of coordination and cooperation among Afghanistan's neighboring countries to jointly safeguard regional security and stability. UNAMA is the principal UN presence in Afghanistan as mandated by the Security Council, and has played a positive part in facilitating international cooperation on and with Afghanistan. The position for the Head of Mission has been vacant for three months. We support the SG in appointing as soon as possible a candidate with strong leadership that is acceptable to Afghanistan and major parties. As the biggest neighbor of Afghanistan and a permanent member of the Security Council, China’s continues to stand ready to join the international community, including UNAMA, to push the Council in assuming its responsibility with real actions to play a bigger part in the political settlement of the Afghan issue. Thank you, President.

I thank the representative of China for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea.

Thank you, Madam President. I would like to commend Slovenia's leadership as the President of the Security Council during this busy December, and also welcome Her Excellency Tania Banun, Slovenian Foreign Minister, presiding over this important briefing on UNAMA. My delegation appreciates also the briefers, Deputy Special Representative Gagnon, USG Fletcher and Ms. Iyari for their insightful briefings. Today, I would like to raise the following three points regarding the current situation in Afghanistan and the way forward. First, both the international community and Taliban need to work together to overcome the humanitarian crisis Afghanistan is currently facing, as reporters reported today. We are all aware that Afghanistan's humanitarian situation has reached the point of unprecedented crisis due to persistent drought, the aftermath earthquake, millions of Afghan returnees over recent years, and diminishing international aid. There is a growing risk that this humanitarian crisis may not remain a catastrophe only within Afghanistan itself. instead, spreading instability at the regional and global level and making the region more vulnerable to those of scourge of terrorism. Key global stakeholders and donor countries must all endeavor to sustain our respective support and contribution to the Afghanistan. The Taliban must also cooperate to ensure that international assistance is is delivered in an unhindered manner to those in need. In this connection, we express deep concern over the situation of the continuance of the Taliban's harsh measures since last September, preventing Afghan women from working for UN and NGO offices. These restrictions should be lifted immediately, not only to ensure fundamental rights, but also for effective and efficient delivery of vital international assistance. Second, the Taliban needs to be aware that human rights violations and restrictions in Afghanistan constitute the greatest obstacle to engagement with the international community. They should expediently heed the international community's call to comply with international law and improve human rights for all in Afghanistan. The discriminatory denial of educational opportunities for Afghan girls and women, restrictions on access to health care services, and shrinking of public areas will undermine Afghanistan's economic and social development, and simultaneously threaten its future. In this light, the Republic of Korea takes note of the establishment of an independent investigative mechanism during the sixth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva last October to examine the deteriorating human rights situations of women and girls in Afghanistan. Finally, the Republic of Korea expresses its firm support for UNAMA's continued efforts to facilitate Afghanistan's integration into the international community and to chart principled, forward-looking engagement with the Taliban. In this connection, we commend UNAMA's continuing communication with the international community to advance the comprehensive approach, even in the absence of the Special Representative. We believe that the swift appointment of the new SRSG, along with efforts related to the Doha process and the comprehensive approach, will contribute to build a strong political momentum. Madam President, While this may be our delegation's final attending at the Council briefing on Afghanistan, the Republic of Korea will continue to our active engagement in this important regional issue and continue to support for equal opportunities for all Afghans. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Republic of Korea for the statement. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation.

Madam President, we wish to thank the briefers. We are pleased that the regional players have also been given the floor during today's discussion. The Russian Federation consistently supports the efforts undertaken by UNAMA through the mandate entrusted in it. We have taken note of the report of the Secretary General on the situation in the country, and we wish to note the following. Contrary to Western forecasts, in the wake of the reckless exodus of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the country did not collapse and it did not transform into a black hole. We see that despite the persistent, pernicious sanctions, the Afghan authorities are undertaking independent efforts to resolve the problems that have accumulated over the years of occupation. They are focusing on multifaceted regional cooperation with an emphasis on transformation of the country into an independent and self-reliant state. However, it is clear that this process will not happen overnight. Without our concerted, non-political support, the country, which has been dependent on the international community for years, will find it to be difficult to single-handedly extricate itself from the crisis. Madam President, the Russian Federation consistently stresses the need to craft a realistic, comprehensive approach on Afghanistan. This approach needs to be rooted in an objective analysis and a balanced assessment of the situation in the country. This is an imperative. We believe that the key components thereof include meaningful, constructive engagement of the international community on the Afghan issue, fully taking into account the needs of the Afghans themselves, without any double standards whatsoever, as well as painstaking, trust-based dialogue with the Taliban on all problems. There's a need to bear in mind that the success of the latter will hinges on the willingness of both parties to engage. There is no room here for pressure or blackmail. This approach is embraced by all key regional players. with direct experience dealing with Afghan issues and specific features, and this has been reaffirmed in the joint statements following the meetings of the Regional Quartet on Afghanistan on the sidelines of the 80th session of the General Assembly in September and the Moscow format meeting held in October. Cooperation with Afghanistan is also the focus of the efforts of the SCO, including the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, as well as the CSTO. We are heartened by the fact that the focus on engagement with the Taliban, with the subsequent international reintegration of Afghanistan, is also rooted in the mosaic approach, which is being advanced by UNAMA through the Doha process. Against this backdrop, we regret the fact that by no means all Western donors recognize the fact that there is no alternative to comprehensive dialogue with the Afghan authorities. This is disheartening, and they continue to speak with them using the language of ultimatums. and campaign for harsher sanctions by the United Nations. Colleagues, it is past time to grasp the fact that the attempt to tighten the screws will not result in compliance by the Taliban. On the contrary, this will result in their taking a harder line. The attempts to infect the mission with anti-Taliban hysteria look absurd. In the absence of progress on the question of unfreezing assets and development assistance, which are the direct objectives of UNAMA, the only thing that you will achieve will be the prompt drawdown of the UN presence. Madam President, we share the assessments of the Secretary General on the domestic political situation in Afghanistan. We are keen to facilitate an expeditious normalization of Afghan-Pakistani relations, which have escalated against the backdrop of the activity of the terrorist group, the TTP. We seek to facilitate dialogue and conflict through political diplomatic means, this is an important factor for achievement of regional stability. We call upon Kabul and Islamabad to expand partnership and engagement, including on matters of counterterrorism. We are concerned by the persistent activity carried out by the ISIL-Khorasan group in the country. We note the Afghan Government’s efforts to counter terrorism. However, we see that, alas, these efforts fall short of what is necessary. The terrorists are exploiting any opportunity to escalate tensions in Afghanistan and in the region as a whole. Beyond financial support from abroad, the group is actively recruiting foreign terrorist fighters, including those with active battlefield experience in Syria and Iraq. And the uncertainty around the weapons left behind by NATO also does not inspire optimism. The narcotics problem is inextricably linked to terrorism. A new source of concern is the growth in the production of synthetic narcotics in local laboratories. It is clear that absent international support, it will be hardly possible for the Taliban to eradicate this threat. Therefore, of key significance is comprehensive international and regional support, including through the UN ODC. The Russian Federation attaches particular attention to the socio-economic situation in the country. We note the selfless efforts undertaken by humanitarian agencies and their staff, who, despite large-scale reductions in financing for their operations, continue to stand ready to deliver assistance to Afghan people in need. The Russian Federation has been systematically delivering assistance to Afghanistan. We are focused on building partnerships with Afghanistan in all areas, at the political level, in terms of regional security building, trade, economy, and with an emphasis on economic capacity building of the country, and for business dialogue by inviting Afghans to participate in international economic fora organized by the Russian Federation. We are closely monitoring the developments related to human rights protection for all Afghans, barring none, as well as the establishment of a genuinely inclusive government with the participation of all ethno-political groups in the country. There is an important need to respect basic rights and freedoms, including the right to education, the right to labor, without any distinction whatsoever on ethnic, gender, ethnic, or religious affiliation. trust that progress will be observed on these tracks as well. Madam President, the Russian Federation sincerely and wholeheartedly supports the right and the desire of the Afghan people to live in a prosperous and a peaceful country free of narcotics and terrorism, and this is largely determined by stability in the region as a whole. This will largely determine stability in the region as a whole, and there's a need to engage with those Afghans who represent the real authorities, who hold themselves accountable for developments in the country, and this is how we can genuinely resolve issues in Afghanistan with the subsequent international reintegration of Afghanistan. Thank you.

The representative of Russian Federation for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Guyana.

Thank you, Madam President. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the A3+, namely Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and my own country, Guyana. We thank USG Tom Fletcher and Deputy SRSG and Officer-in-Charge of UNAMA, Georgette Gagnon, for their briefings. We also listened carefully to the statement by Ms. Yari. The A3+ reiterates its firm commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Afghanistan, and reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the Afghan people. As the world marks International Human Rights Day, The Afghan people continue to face the combined effects of deepening poverty, erosion of their human rights, natural disasters, displacement, and a dire humanitarian crisis, compounded by shrinking external aid and the large scale return of Afghans from neighboring countries. The Taliban's non-compliance with Afghanistan's international obligations, its failure to adopt an inclusive approach to governance, and persecution of women and girls continue to prevent meaningful progress towards Afghanistan's reintegration into the international community as envisioned by Security Council Resolution 2721. As the country faces a dire humanitarian situation, the restrictions imposed on Afghan women working with the UN and the strict enforcement since September 7th of them not accessing UN premises is affecting delivery of life-saving assistance and basic services to the most vulnerable, and has forced the UN to suspend some operations. The A3+ calls for constructive dialogue with all relevant actors to help create conditions that would allow humanitarian work to resume fully and effectively. We note UNAMA’s efforts in this regard. We also call on the international community to increase humanitarian and development assistance to support the well-being and dignity of Afghans. In April 2023, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2681, condemning the decision of the Taliban to ban women from working for the United Nations in Afghanistan. and called on the Taliban to swiftly reverse all policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including related to their access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in public life. The A3+ reiterates this call today. Unfortunately, these restrictions have worsened in contravention and in contempt of the calls made by this Council. Afghan women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the Taliban's propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice law, with reports of severe punishments for non-compliance, including arbitrary arrests and prolonged prison sentences. They also continue to be denied access to education beyond grade six. Latest prohibitions include bans of the study of core science subjects and requirements for universities to remove books authored by women, regardless of content or the author's nationality. The continued suspension of women's medical and health education programs is causing shortages of skilled women health professionals and increased maternal mortality. the A3+ reiterates its call on the Taliban to reopen all schools and universities to women and girls. We emphasize that the full, equal, and meaningful participation and leadership of women in all spheres of life are integral to Afghan-led and Afghan-owned efforts towards Afghanistan’s development and prosperity. Madam President, the economic outlook for Afghanistan continues to be bleak. Despite increased exports and improved regional cooperation, food insecurity remain acute, and there is a 15% rise in malnourished women and children compared to the same period last year. 422 health facilities were forced to close during the past few months, affecting more than 3 million people. We note the World Bank's October Economic Monitor report on the impact of exogenous shocks, including reduced humanitarian aid, climate-related disruptions and earthquakes, and the influx of returnees, 2.4 million persons for this year as of November 15. This has placed further strain on the country’s already limited resources and overstretched services. The A3+ commends the sustained efforts and commitment of the UN agencies in this challenging context. We also emphasize the urgent need to address the dual threats of terrorism and drug trafficking. Combating these scourges is paramount for stability and peace in Afghanistan and the region. In that regard, the lack of economic opportunities in Afghanistan will leave many Afghans vulnerable, creating a breeding ground for recruitment and exploitation by terrorist groups. D3+ remains concerned by reports indicating the presence of terrorist groups on Afghan territory, including the TTP and ISIL-K, which continue to pose threats in neighboring countries and the wider region. Madam President, the 14.7% increase in security-related incidents compared to the same period in 2024 is also of concern. in particular, the recent border incidents, which resulted in extensive civilian casualties. We welcome the ceasefire and call for continued negotiations towards peaceful coexistence, and we commend the mediation efforts led by Qatar and Türkiye. In closing, Madam President, the A3+ reaffirms its full support for UNAMA and for the Afghan people. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Guyana for the statement. And I now give the floor to the representative of Greece.

Thank you, Madam President. I would like to welcome your presence at today's meeting and thank you for chairing this open briefing. I would also like to thank USG Tom Fletcher, Deputy Special Representative Gagnon, and Ms. Negina Yari for their briefings, and welcome the presence of the representative of Afghanistan. Madam President, as we commemorate the International Human Rights Day, our thoughts are with the people of Afghanistan who are suffering severe violations and abuses of their human rights and fundamental freedoms under the Taliban rule. The situation is particularly dire for women and girls, as well as for minority groups. We condemn in the strongest terms the restrictive decrees by the Taliban authorities, including the strict implementation of the law on the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice, and call on the Taliban to reverse them immediately. I would like to make the following three points. First, the restrictions on UN female national staff from accessing UN offices across the country that started in September are still in effect and have had severe repercussions on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to women and their access to health care. It is unacceptable, and we urge the Taliban to immediately lift these restrictions. The internet shutdown and the communications blackout, as well as the review of the education sector by removing topics related to women's studies and banning books by women authors, are further indications on the Taliban's attempt to silence women and isolate them from society. In light of these acts, we continue to call for accountability. Moreover, we welcome the recent Human Rights Council resolution establishing an independent investigative mechanism for Afghanistan, which aims at advancing justice for international crimes and violations of international law committed in the country. Second, We are alarmed by the different cross-border incidents, clashes, and airstrikes that took place during the reporting period, resulting in civilian casualties and posing a threat to regional peace and security. We reiterate our position that Afghanistan must not become again a safe haven for terrorism, and we call on the Taliban to strengthen their efforts to combat terrorist activities. At the same time, the protection of civilians must remain a top priority, in line with international humanitarian law. In this context, we welcome the ceasefire between the Taliban and Pakistani security forces, as well as the mediation efforts by regional states, and call for a lasting cessation of hostilities and the resolution of differences through peaceful means. Third, Despite Afghanistan's purported internal and economic stability, the humanitarian situation remains deeply worrying due to environmental disasters, food insecurity, and unprecedented cross-border returns. It is noteworthy that with almost 2.5 million people returning in 2025, Afghanistan's population rose by 6%. However, this surge in returns has placed significant pressure on the country’s limited services and protection capacities. Continuing international humanitarian support to Afghanistan is therefore of paramount importance. Madam President, in closing, I would like to reiterate Greece's full support to UNAMA and its proposed roadmap to foster a more coherent, coordinated, and structured engagement between the international community and the Taliban. The sustainable development of Afghanistan and the normalization of its relations with the international community cannot be achieved, however, as long as women and girls, half of the country's population, remain marginalized and deprived of their human rights. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Greece for the statement, and I'll give the floor to the representative of Denmark.

Thank you, Madam President. And let me also thank USG Fletcher, Deputy SRSG Gagnon, and Ms. Jari for their important and alarming briefings. As we mark International Human Rights Day, the situation in Afghanistan stands as a painful reminder of the gap between global commitments and lived realities. Four years since the Taliban violently seized power, Afghanistan now represents one of the most extreme and systematic assaults on human rights in the world. Madam President, allow me to raise three points. First, The human rights of all Afghans must be upheld. This is a matter of peace and security, of human dignity, and of urgency. Denmark condemns in the strongest terms the Taliban's denial of women's right to higher education and employment. These restrictions are not only cruel, they undermine the country's own prospects for development and economic growth. Afghanistan will not attain stability, prosperity, nor peace while such violations continue. We welcome the adoption of an international investigative mechanism by the Human Rights Council to ensure that serious violations are documented, evidence is preserved, and that perpetrators in the future will be held to account. Women must also be empowered to participate fully in decision making, including on Afghanistan's future. Afghan women’s rights and participation must remain central in international engagement with the Taliban. We urge the rights of Afghan women and their full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation to be placed at the center of the UN-convened Doha political process. Second, Madam President, we strongly condemn the Taliban’s continued obstructions to humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is facing one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally, marked by rising food insecurity, widespread malnutrition, economic collapse, and repeated natural disasters, including two major earthquakes this year. The return of more than 2.5 million Afghans has further strained an already overstretched humanitarian system. At such a critical moment, It is deeply alarming that the Taliban is expanding its restrictions on Afghan female UN and NGO staff. As we heard so clearly from Ms. Yari this morning, excluding women is not only discriminatory, it is operationally devastating. It weakens the reach and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance and impedes women's and girls' access to essential support. We strongly urge the Taliban to immediately reverse all of these policies including the directive banning Afghan women personnel to UN premises. The Taliban must facilitate the rapid, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout Afghanistan. Third, Madam President, the recent escalation in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan is deeply worrying. The developments risk destabilizing an already fragile region and diverting attention from urgent humanitarian and human rights challenges. We join the Secretary General in welcoming the ceasefire and commend ongoing regional mediation efforts to pursue a lasting solution. The Taliban must play a constructive role in eliminating terrorism, including ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda, TTP, and other groups, from Afghan soil and ensuring the peace benefits the entire region. In closing, The Security Council cannot and must not allow the normalization of the most severe women's rights crisis in the world. Denmark will continue to support the rights, voices, and agency of Afghan women and girls. Their rights are non-negotiable. Their participation is essential, and their future must remain at the heart of this Council's work. We continue to support the work of UNAMA. and look forward to working with the Security Council members towards a timely renewal of the mission’s mandate. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Denmark for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom.

Thank you, Madam President. Thank you for convening this meeting today, and I also thank Deputy SRSG Gagnon. Under-Secretary-General Fletcher and Miss Yari for their insightful briefings and their stark descriptions of the situation in Afghanistan today. Today, I will focus on three of the key points that were raised by our briefers: first, on the appalling erosion of rights in Afghanistan; secondly, on the dire humanitarian situation; and thirdly, on how the UN process can drive progress. Colleagues, today, as we observe International Human Rights Day, the promise of universal rights in Afghanistan remains tragically unfulfilled. Over the four years of the Taliban's rule, repression has intensified. Over 100 edicts have systematically eroded the rights of Afghan women and girls. Girls cannot attend school after the age of 12. And for more than three months, the Taliban has banned women working at UN offices. The UK government unequivocally condemns this appalling erosion of women and girls' rights, and we urge its immediate reversal. In October, UK officials travelled to Kabul to press the Taliban to reverse these barbaric decrees. The international community must unite against the Taliban's assault on human rights. We must not abandon half of Afghanistan’s population. Second, the humanitarian situation. As winter approaches, the humanitarian needs in Afghanistan remain dire. As today’s brief has set out, in 2026, an estimated 21.9 million people – 45% of the Afghan population – will require humanitarian assistance. UK continues to work to support the country's most vulnerable, especially women and girls. We remain a major donor, allocating up to $201 million in the financial year of 2025-26 for vital life-saving and basic services. We are deeply concerned by the deteriorating food security and nutrition situation, as evidenced by the recent IPC forecasts. In the context of reduced funding for Afghanistan, we collectively must do everything possible to ensure life-saving assistance is available to the most vulnerable. And third, the UN process. The UK continues to engage with the UN-led process, including the comprehensive approach. Strong UN leadership is essential to drive this process forward, and we therefore hope to see the next SRSG appointed at the earliest opportunity. However, our support for the comprehensive approach depends on the Taliban taking meaningful steps and adhering to their international obligations, especially those related to counter-terrorism and the rights of women and girls. As our Foreign Secretary recently said, there cannot be peace, security or prosperity without women playing their part, free from violence and free from fear. That is the principle which must underpin Afghanistan's future. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of France.

Thank you, Madam President. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Deputy Special Representative, Madame Georgette Gagnon. Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Tom Fletcher, as well as Madam Neghin Ayyari for their briefings before the Security Council. I welcome the presence in this important meeting of Madam Minister Taniura. Madam Tania Fajon, as we are marking today International Human Rights Day, it is incomprehensible for the Security Council to remain silent in light of the degrading conditions imposed by the Taliban targeting Afghan people for more than four years now. The briefings that we have just heard are unequivocal. The Taliban are continuing to carry out segregation policy against women. They have gone so far as to target the United Nations, intimidating female Afghan employees of the United Nations and prohibiting them from going to their places of employment. France condemns in the strongest terms the systematic violations of the rights of women and girls carried out by the Taliban, and we call upon the Security Council to shoulder its responsibility in light of these intolerable practices. France expects the Taliban will achieve significant and verifiable progress in the implementation of the provisions set out in resolution 2593 of the Security Council. These conditions need to guide discussions underway on an international roadmap for Afghanistan. Firstly, the Taliban must repeal the laws and measures restricting the rights of women and girls, beginning with the so-called Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Afghan United Nations employees, female Afghan UN employees, need to be able to return to their places of work in the UN premises, and the rights of all Afghan people to education, to employment, and to public life need to be restored. Second, we urge the Taliban to engage in good faith in an inclusive political process. This begins with dialogue with non-Taliban Afghan representatives, including women. through during Doha process meetings. Third, all obstacles to humanitarian assistance need to be lifted, particularly in a country that has been buffeted by the consequences of natural disasters, which have been exacerbated by climate change. Once again, I denounce the shocking decision of the Taliban to restrict women and girls' access to humanitarian or emergency humanitarian assistance in the context of the earthquakes which have struck the country in recent months. Fourth, the Taliban need to provide concrete and sustainable guarantees for counterterrorism efforts. The report of the 1988 Committee Monitoring Team was published several days ago, and this report reflects insufficient efforts for counterterrorism. on Afghan soil, particularly when it comes to Islamic State in Khorasan, Al-Qaeda, and the TTP. Fifth, the fight against drug trafficking cannot be limited to the ban on poppy cultivation. The uptick in production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamines, threatens security in the region. Madam President, France recognizes the efforts of UNAMA in safeguarding a channel dialogue with the Taliban. However, we must remain clear and consistent when it comes to human rights. France supports the principle of a comprehensive approach and the idea of a step of the international community towards the Taliban. However, at the same time, we expect that they will undertake tangible commitments for the rights of women and girls. And more generally speaking, for the implementation of Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2593, if the Taliban wish to be integrated into the international community, as they claim, then they need to demonstrate this with acts. They need to respect Afghanistan's international commitments. France will continue to stand by the side of the Afghan people to deliver humanitarian assistance on the basis of the principle of by and for women. I thank all UN agencies and their partners who continue to undertake efforts for the benefit of the Afghan people, despite the intimidations they face. And lastly, we cherish the hope that a new Special Representative will be appointed promptly to the helm of UNAMA. Thank you.

I thank the representative of France for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.

Thank you, Madam President. I would like to begin by commending Slovenia for its Presidency and skilful leadership of the Council this month. We also thank Slovenia's delegation for their dedication and valuable contribution to the Council's work during their two-year term as an elected member of the Council. We take note of the Secretary-General's report and thank DSRSG and Officer-in-Charge of UNAMA, Madam Gagnon, for her briefing. We appreciate the role of UNAMA and the work They do under pressing circumstances. We also thank U.S. Secretary Tom Fletcher for his insightful briefing on the humanitarian situation, and also to civil society briefer Ms. Nari for her remarks. Madam President, it has been more than four years since the Taliban takeover that ended the civil war and offered a glimmer of hope for Afghanistan, though not without serious apprehensions and doubts. In the spirit of good neighborliness and our long-standing commitment and interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, Pakistan engaged with the Taliban authorities regularly and throughout this period. Just last year, just this year, We conducted a series of high-level visits to Afghanistan and launched a number of initiatives, supported humanitarian relief efforts, facilitated transportation of goods, and announced trade and transit concessions. And we have also remained engaged with various regional processes on Afghanistan. It is important to recall that there were several expectations of the international community from the Taliban based on their own commitments, in particular, not to allow the use of Afghan soil for terrorism against any country. And many colleagues around the table have referred to that. Unfortunately, initial reservations of the international community gradually proved true and becoming more pronounced with the passage of time. And today, Afghanistan is once again a safe sanctuary for terrorist groups and proxies, with devastating consequences and mounting security challenges for its immediate neighbors, particularly Pakistan, and the region and beyond. Regrettably, Instead of seeing the Taliban take concrete, effective, and decisive actions against terrorist groups, we saw a steep surge in terrorist attacks against Pakistan, planned, financed, and orchestrated using Afghan soil under their watch. Just this year alone, we have lost close to 1,200 lives to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. And since 2022, more than 214 Afghan terrorists, including suicide bombers, have been neutralized in Pakistan during counterterrorism operations. Madam President, terrorism emanating from Afghan soil poses the gravest threat to Pakistan's national security and sovereignty. Terrorist entities including ISIL-K, al-Qaeda, TTP, ETIM, BLA, and Majeed Brigade enjoy safe havens in Afghanistan's territory, with dozens of terrorist camps enabling cross-border infiltration. and violent attacks, including suicide bombings. And as corroborated by the UN's monitoring team, TTP, with nearly 6,000 fighters, is the largest UN-designated terrorist group based on Afghan soil. Pakistan has successfully thwarted multiple infiltration attempts of TTP and B.L.A. terrorists from across Afghanistan. confiscating significant caches of sophisticated military-grade modern equipment left behind by international forces in Afghanistan. These efforts have had a human cost, huge sacrifices by our valiant security forces and civilians. Elements within Taliban rank and file are supporting these terrorist groups and allowing them safe passage to operate with impunity and free will. There is also credible evidence of collaboration among these terrorist groups through joint training, illicit weapons trade, refuge to terrorists, and coordinated attacks against Pakistan using the Afghan soil. And not surprisingly, one detractor in the region, opportunist and spoiler as ever, moved fast to intensify its sponsorship of terrorist activity through material, technical, and financial support to terrorist groups and proxies active against Pakistan from Afghan soil. We believe the UNAMA must strengthen efforts as mandated to prevent illicit trade and destabilizing accumulation of small arms and light weapons and their diversion in Afghanistan and the region. Madam President, despite serious security concerns, we have made every effort to engage with the Taliban authorities, including during the recent round of talks in Doha and Istanbul. And we are grateful to the governments of Qatar and Türkiye for their sincere efforts. The Taliban must take concrete and verifiable action against terrorist groups based on their soil. Failing which, Pakistan will take all necessary defensive measures for the protection of its citizens, territory, and sovereignty. We also expect UNAMA to provide an objective assessment of the security situation at the border. Incidents related to border clashes are primarily an issue of terrorism and peace and security. The Taliban's failure to honor their CT obligations has worsened the security landscape of our region and added to the misery of ordinary Afghans who are suffering as a direct result of their inhumane policies and misplaced priorities. Sanctions, a dysfunctional banking system, diminished aid, poverty, terrorism, narcotics production, Human rights violations continue to define Afghanistan's political and socioeconomic fabric today, largely as a result of Taliban's own doing. The Taliban's continued restrictions on women and girls, as we have also heard today, are also inconsistent with Islamic traditions and norms of Muslim societies, as also highlighted by OIC countries on several occasions. Pakistan fully shares the concerns of the international community on the issues of human rights, particularly women and girls’ rights, in Afghanistan. And the humanitarian situation is also serious, as we have heard from USG Tom Fletcher. Increasing financing gaps in the humanitarian needs and the response plan for 2025 also demonstrate diminishing support for a political dispensation that has failed to meet its commitments. Madam President, for over four decades, Pakistan welcomed with open arms millions of Afghan refugees despite its own constraints and inadequate international support. We also had to cope with huge numbers, caseloads of illegal foreigners, including Afghans, without legal status or documents, which were a serious security threat to Pakistan. And these were not meant to be indefinite stays. With conflict now ended, we expect that Afghans will now return to their country of origin in a dignified, phased, and orderly manner. We will continue to extend all possible assistance to our Afghan brothers and sisters, but the international community must shoulder its responsibility and share this burden more equitably, because we see commitments long delayed, unkept, and in some cases reversed. Shifting the blame of Afghanistan's woes to the inflow of Afghan returnees does not reflect ground realities. Pakistan has also put in place a liberal visa regime that enables Afghans to visit Pakistan legally for various purposes, including education, health, business, and family links. And just for example, for medical cases alone, we have issued visas to more than 536,000 Afghans in September 2023. Pakistan has consistently advocated sustained engagement with Afghanistan and was amongst the first to propose a roadmap for normalization. We look forward to the next steps of the UN-led Doha process and plan of action for its mosaic approach, which must address Afghanistan's multifaceted challenges comprehensively, as also outlined in the independent assessment report. Pakistan desires a peaceful, stable, interconnected, and prosperous Afghanistan, which is at peace with itself and its neighbors. Pakistan also supports international engagement efforts with Afghanistan, with well-defined objectives, reciprocal steps, and a realistic roadmap as the only viable pathway to lasting peace in Afghanistan. And we also hope that bilateral engagements are not used by countries with negative agendas as a medium to destabilize the Pak-Afghan border and the wider region. We hope the Taliman will promote a conducive environment for sincere dialogue that is sensitive to our legitimate security concerns, stop working at cross purposes, and come out of a state of denial, which serves no one's interest. For Pakistan, Afghanistan holds particular importance. As immediate neighbors bound by geography, sharing not only a long border, but having deep religious and historical ties, cultural linkages, and fraternal bonds, no country desires peace and stability in Afghanistan more than Pakistan. And no country has suffered from the consequences of decades of conflict and instability in Afghanistan more than Pakistan. Pakistan will therefore continue to work for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan in the best interest of Afghans and the region. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Pakistan for the statement, and I'll give the floor to the representative of Panama.

Thank you, madam President. Allow me to begin by expressing my gratitude to Her Excellency Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, who is presiding over today's session. We also thank the briefers, georgette Gagnon, Tom Fletcher, and Nagina Yari for their valuable briefings. Today, 10 December, is International Human Rights Day, and we recall that, according to UNICEF, nearly 2.2 million girls and teenage girls have been excluded from the education system in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 22.9 million Afghans, including women and girls, require humanitarian assistance, 14.8 million people face food insecurity, and 14.3 million people have limited access to medical care. These figures, although alarming, represent only some of the multifaceted crises that Afghanistan faces four years after the return of the Taliban to power. Moreover, The restrictions imposed by the Taliban, preventing female workers from entering UN facilities, are not only acts of discrimination, but they are attempts to test the limits of our collective response. These actions constitute a direct attack not only on operational integrity, but also on the very mandate of the mission. Restricting access for local personnel on the basis of gender contradicts the foundational principles of this organization and erodes trust. It is worth recalling that amid a persistent humanitarian crisis and a significant increase in returnees, the United Nations remains one of the few international actors with a sustained presence on the ground, providing impartial and and reliable assistance to the most affected communities. Undermining that relationship calls into question the prospect of building sustainable solutions and does not contribute to addressing the legitimacy deficit facing the de facto leadership. The continued presence of terrorist groups on Afghan territory, amongst them ISIL-K and TTP, on Afghan territory and the recent rise in armed incidents in border areas are a clear indication that the repercussions of the conflict in Afghanistan are spilling over its borders and may evolve into a far more complex regional crisis. In this context, we consider it essential that the Mission and relevant mechanisms be granted full access to assess and report on these risks, and that the system’s preventive capacities be strengthened. Colleagues, Afghan women today face one of the most severe and distressing human rights situations in the world. The near-total restriction on education, their deliberate exclusion from the workplace, and the denial of their participation in public life constitute profound violations that affect not only their individual development, but also the future of an entire society. Amid this adverse landscape, a quiet and courageous resistance persists among Afghans. who, with determination and hope, continue to defend their dignity, preserve knowledge, and assert their right to exist in freedom. Madam President, As we approach next year's review of UNAMA's mandate, we need to establish clear parameters of shared responsibility between the Taliban and the international community. This Council must make clear that the international presence is not unconditional. Ladies and gentlemen, this Council has demonstrated goodwill and patience, but every mandate requires minimum conditions for its effective implementation. Continuing with these restrictions jeopardizes not only current operations, but also the Council's future ability to legitimately renew its support for the mission. For Panama, the reality faced by the Afghan people calls for ethical reflection and a collective responsibility to protect fundamental rights, regardless of borders or cultural contexts. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Panama for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of the United States.

Thank you, Madam President, and thank you to all of our briefers today. As we just heard, the people of Afghanistan continue to endure significant hardships, including human rights abuses, poverty, unemployment, limited access to basic services, and unconscionable restrictions on women’s rights. The Taliban are responsible for these hardships and suffering because of the policies that they have adopted. Quite simply, the Taliban are not good faith interlocutors, and they do not care about the well-being of the Afghan people. They impede and manipulate support from the international community. The Taliban continues to engage in hostage diplomacy, ignoring the basic needs of the Afghan people, impeding the functionality of UNAMA, and demonstrating little willingness to meet their international commitments. This includes the Doha process, where the Taliban are not participating in good faith. Meanwhile, we have to bear in mind the lack of results from international assistance and engagement in Afghanistan. As this Council considers the future of UNAMA, it must be skeptical of the Taliban. All special political missions, including UNAMA, need to adapt to changing conditions on the ground. If Taliban conditions prevent UNAMA from carrying out these tasks, then the Council should consider realigning its mandate to these realities. In the future, it should focus on core peace and security issues, guided by clear and achievable benchmarks. The United States' top priority in Afghanistan remains the protection of U.S. citizens and the homeland, which includes mitigating terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan and securing the release of all of those unjustly detained. Colleagues, this Council must continue to call out the Taliban for its lack of progress against their counterterrorism commitments. engagement and hostage diplomacy, and the disregard for the well-being of the people of Afghanistan. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the United States for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Afghanistan.

Thank you, Madam President. I would like to congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the Council, and thank you for convening today's important meeting and for the joint stakeout issued earlier. As this will be the last meeting for the outgoing members, we would like to express our appreciation for the leadership of all those members, particularly Slovenia, ROK, and Guyana, and also Sierra Leone and Algeria. for your continued support and for the people of Afghanistan and your principled position. You have left a great footprint. And I also want to thank DS-RSG, Madam Ganyu, and also the USG, Mr. Fletcher, and the civil society representative, Ms. Yari, for your compelling and sobering presentations. We are grateful to all previous speakers for their expressions of support with the Afghan people, particularly Afghan women and girls. We also thank donors, humanitarian partners, NGOs, UN agencies, and the frontline humanitarian personnel for continuing to provide lifesaving support under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Madam President, nearly five years have passed since the Taliban's takeover. In this period, and despite repeated appeals from the Afghan people and the consistent calls of this Council, the Taliban's policies have not changed, and the state of Afghanistan has descended further into a crisis. defined by institutional repression, economic collapse, acute humanitarian need, forced displacement, shrinking civic space, and rising regional tensions. The Secretary-General’s report confirms what Afghans endure daily: deliberate and systematic violations of fundamental rights. Public executions, corporal punishments, arbitrary detention, media censorship, and extrajudicial killings continue without accountability. And space for civil liberties continue to shrink drastically, and access to information, including the internet, is increasingly restricted. But it is the women and girls of Afghanistan who face the most extreme persecution and systematic discrimination and gender-based discrimination. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are banned from secondary and higher education, where women are barred from most forms of employment, and where even female UN staff cannot carry out their duties. The banning of books written by women, the exclusion of female students from medical education, and the prohibition on training future female medical professionals have already generated serious consequences, and their long-term impact will be devastating, especially for maternal health, women's access to healthcare, and the country's human capital. Esteemed members of the Council, These policies are not rooted in Afghan culture, Islamic values, or social tradition. They are deliberate decisions taken by the Taliban which amount to gender persecution on a scale that constitute crimes against humanity. These are violations that take lives, erase identities, deprive half of the population of their dignity and existence, and ultimately pose a serious danger to the future of a nation. Madam President, Afghanistan faces a profound humanitarian emergency. More than 23 million Afghans require assistance. Poverty, unemployment, drought, food insecurity, and Taliban-imposed restrictions on livelihoods have deepened the level and scope of suffering. Yet humanitarian funding continues to decline. In 2025, over 2.5 million Afghans have been forced to return from Pakistan and Iran. These mass returns disproportionately affect women, girls, and minorities, many of whom are sent back to areas where they face persecution, insecurity, or lack of shelter and basic services. We call on our neighboring states or countries, particularly Pakistan and Iran, to uphold in the spirit of brotherhood the principle of non-refoulement and ensure that any return occurs voluntarily, safely, and with dignity. Madam President, the security environment remains volatile and increasingly alarming. UN Monitoring Team’s reports indicate that terrorist groups including foreign terrorist fighters and international foreign organizations affiliated with al-Qaida, ISIL-K, continue to operate, recruit, and train inside of Khoreshtan. The proliferation of extremist madrasas further endangers Afghan youth and regional stability. This validates what has been often stated, that an unstable Afghanistan will have dangerous security implications regionally and globally. On the other hand, recent escalations between the Taliban and Pakistan, including shelling and airstrikes, have resulted in over 500 civilian casualties, including women and children inside their homes. We strongly condemn any targeting of civilians inside Afghanistan or outside Afghanistan, whether committed by terrorist groups or carried out under the pretext of counterterrorism. For over four decades, Afghanistan has been a frontline victim of terrorism, sustained by regional dynamics and cross-border sanctuaries. Genuine, coordinated, and non-selective counterterrorism efforts are essential to address these root causes. and ensure Afghanistan is never again used for proxy violence. Madam President, the key question now is how to proceed forward to move towards the path of progress. The Taliban have failed to adhere to their commitments, including that they made under the Doha Agreement, endorsed by the Security Council Resolution 2513, 2020, including counterterrorism, respect for human rights, and pursuit of political process, none of which have been implemented. These commitments must be upheld, and the Taliban must be held accountable for non-compliance. After nearly five years, there is no political roadmap, no institutional reform, no credible intra-Afghan dialogue. In a state of inclusion, exclusion has intensified. In a state of reconciliation, repression has deepened. In a state of legitimacy, unilateral control persists. Afghanistan cannot stabilize through isolation, coercion, or imposed authority. Humanitarian aid alone cannot sustain our nation. Sustainable development, economic recovery, and lasting peace require legitimate and accountable governance grounded in respect for national and international obligations, conditions that Afghanistan currently lacks. The independent assessment mandated by this Council provides a principled pathway. It calls for a coherent international strategy, clear political benchmarks tied to progress, appointment of a Special Envoy, and launch of an inclusive political process reflective of Afghanistan’s diversity and the will of its people. We call on the Council to reach the consensus that is needed to address these outstanding issues. Moreover, the very source of Afghanistan’s crisis remains political, and the solution can be inclusive, representative government that ensures Afghanistan’s political stability and national unity. The international community must use the leverage in its position to influence the Taliban's decision on accepting political dialogue and negotiations with a cross-section of Afghan democratic forces for a settlement resulting in an inclusive and legitimate government that is based on the will of the people. Such a political process under UN supervision will mark a breakthrough in the current impasse. The Doha platform must no longer remain symbolic or serve as a tacit endorsement of unilateral rule. It must become the mechanism through which a credible political process begins with all credible Afghan representatives, including the Taliban, women, civil society, the youth, are meaningfully engaged. This is what the people of Afghanistan expect and await. Madam President, UNAMA's role is indispensable, not only for humanitarian operations and monitoring, but also for facilitating structured political dialogue. Appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General with deep knowledge of Afghanistan and unwavering commitment to human rights and the principles of the UN Charter is essential. We welcome the extension of the mandate of Special Rapporteur and establishment of an independent investigative mechanism, as their continued work is crucial for documenting violations and advancing accountability. And we call for adequate funding to ensure these mandates can be implemented effectively. Madam President, distinguished delegates, Afghanistan stands at a defining moment. Its people suffered from decades of imposed conflicts, and especially its women have endured systematic exclusion, economic hardship, fear, and displacement. Yet they continue to show remarkable resilience, courage and hope. They ask only for principled international support, support for their rights, their voice, and their rightful place in their own country and within the international community. For that future to remain possible, this Council can and should act with unity, coherence and urgency. We therefore present the following priority actions. First, hold the Taliban accountable for measurable commitments under the Doha Agreement and the UN Security Council resolutions. Second, adopt a coordinated and benchmark-based international engagement framework. Third, support an inclusive intra-Afghan negotiation process leading to a legitimate governance. Fourth, place the rights of women and girls at the center of all engagement. Fifth, sustain humanitarian support at adequate and predictable levels. Sixth, pursue accountability for grave violations, including gender-based persecution. And last and seventh, ensure counterterrorism efforts are lawful, consistent, and non-selective. Madam President, in conclusion, a stable Afghanistan requires legitimate and representative governance, full full respect for fundamental rights, effective regional cooperation, and reintegration into the international community. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that the path forward towards such a future remains open. The people of Afghanistan have not abandoned hope. The international community must not abandon them. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Afghanistan for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of India.

Madam President, I congratulate Slovenia for assuming the presidency of the Council and thank you for giving me the floor. I thank Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Assistant Secretary-General Ms. Gannon for briefing this meeting. We also note the comments made by USG Fletcher and the civil society briefer, Ms. Yari. As Afghanistan's contiguous neighbor, India deeply values its civilizational relationship and centuries-old bonds of friendship, and this history continues to guide our actions in forging deeper ties with the people of Afghanistan. Over the years, India has been a strong advocate for peace and stability in Afghanistan. Coordinated regional and international cooperation on key issues concerning Afghanistan is paramount. as is strongly engaging relevant parties for promoting peace, stability, and development in the country. We have accordingly participated in all rounds of the Doha Working Group meetings and in other regional fora. Madam President, provision of humanitarian assistance and building the capacities of the Afghan people have always remained India's priorities. We have already more than 500 development partnership projects across all provinces, and as decided during Foreign Minister Mottaki's recent visit to India, India would further deepen its engagement in development cooperation projects, particularly in the sectors of health care, public infrastructure, and capacity building. We will continue working with UN agencies in critical areas such as health, food security, education, and sports. The visit of Mr. Azizi, the Afghan Minister for Industry and Commerce, to India also helped further cooperation on connectivity, trade facilitation, and market access. Healthcare is an important need, particularly now, for the Afghan people. In this regard, India has undertaken the establishment of a thalassemia center, a modern diagnostic center, and a replacement of the heating system at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Kabul. Additionally, India will construct a 30-bed hospital in Kabul's Wagrami district, an oncology center, and a trauma center in Kabul, and five maternity health clinics. About 75 prosthetic limbs have been successfully fitted to Afghan nationals. India also continues to extend medical assistance and provide high quality health care treatment to Afghan nationals. During Mr. Murtazi's visit, India also gifted 20 ambulances to the Afghan people. Health care cooperation will be further augmented during the upcoming visit of the Afghan Minister of Public Health to India. India was among the first countries to provide humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake in Afghanistan. and continues to assist in reconstructing residential buildings in the earthquake-affected areas. India's comprehensive humanitarian support includes supply of food grain, social support items, school stationery, disaster relief materials, and pesticides. It also includes providing crucial material aid to address the urgent needs of the forcibly repatriated refugees in Afghanistan. Madam President, we have taken note of the Secretary-General's report on the situation in Afghanistan, especially the difficult humanitarian concerns expressed therein. The involuntary return movements of over 2 million Afghans this year, contributing a population increase of 6% for Afghanistan in 2025, have created significant vulnerabilities necessitating enhanced protection. improved access to shelter and food and security, and need for durable solutions for sustainable reintegration. The Secretary General's report also highlights the severe humanitarian and economic impact resulting from recent border clashes and border crossing closures, displacing hundreds of families inside Afghanistan, disrupting vital trade, causing financial distress and widespread losses for farmers during the critical fruit harvest season, and threatening the livelihoods of the Afghan people. Member States this year issued the Awaza Political Declaration to address the unique challenges faced by landlocked developing countries, the LLDCs. It's incumbent on all not to weaponize trade and transit vulnerabilities. India echoes UNAMA's concern over airstrikes and condemns the killing of innocent women, children, and cricketers in Afghanistan. We add our voice to calls for paying full respect to the United Nations Charter and international law, with particular attention to protection of innocent civilians. We also note with grave concern the practice of trade and transit terrorism that the people of Afghanistan are being subjected to by the cynical closure of access for a landlocked country whose people are suffering numerous debilitating conditions since many years. These acts are in violation of WTO norms. Such open threats and acts of war against a fragile and vulnerable LLDC nation, trying to rebuild in difficult circumstances, constitute a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law. While we condemn such acts, we also strongly support the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Afghanistan. India continues to closely monitor the security situation in Afghanistan. The international community must coordinate efforts towards ensuring that entities and individuals Designated by the UN Security Council, the ISIL and al-Qaeda and their affiliates, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed, and proxies of the LET, such as the Resistance Front, along with those who facilitate their operations, are no longer indulge in cross-border terrorism. Madam President, India calls for a pragmatic engagement with the Taliban. A coherent policy of engagement should incentivize positive actions. A focus on only punitive measures will only ensure that a business as usual approach continues, as we have been seeing now for the last four and a half years. We call on the United Nations and the international community to adopt nuanced policy instruments that help bring sustainable benefits for the people of Afghanistan. In conclusion, I would reiterate our commitment to meeting the development needs of the people of Afghanistan. The recent decision by my government of restoring the status of our technical mission in Kabul to that of an embassy underscores this resolve. We will continue our engagements with all stakeholders to augment our contribution to Afghanistan's comprehensive development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, in keeping with the priorities and aspirations of Afghan society. I thank you, Madam President.

I thank the representative of India for the statement. And I now give the floor to the representative of Kazakhstan.

Thank you, Madam President. Kazakhstan warmly welcomes you and congratulates Slovenia on assuming the presidency of the Security Council. We thank Ms. Georgette Gagnon for her comprehensive briefing on the activities of UNAMA. We also appreciate the valuable insights shared by today's briefers. The stability, peace, and socioeconomic progress of Afghanistan remain critical priorities for Kazakhstan and for the wider Central Asian region. We fully align with the Security Council position on the issue of international recognition of the Taliban and reiterate our unwavering commitment to international humanitarian law and the fundamental rights of all Afghans. Kyrgyzstan consistently advocates for the meaningful participation of women in public life and for the protection of ethnic and religious minorities. As a close neighbor and long-standing partner, Kyrgyzstan continues to provide humanitarian assistance and essential supplies to Afghanistan, particularly to support food security to the most vulnerable communities. At the same time, we remain committed to strengthening economic cooperation with Afghanistan. Over the past years, bilateral engagement has intensified through high-level visits, trade missions, business forums, and sectoral consultations. We are working together to expand trade, advance agricultural and industrial cooperation, and develop partnerships in digitalization and geology. We also note the resilience of Afghanistan's small and medium-sized businesses, which continue to function despite challenging circumstances. This emerging entrepreneurial sector holds real potential to support economic recovery, and the international community should help create conditions for its further growth. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to improving regional connectivity as a foundation for long-term stability. Enhanced transport corridors and modern infrastructure are essential for resilience and sustainable development. In this regard, Kazakhstan supports key regional initiatives, including the development of new transit routes and improved logistics links between Central and South Asia. We have committed up to 500 million US dollars to railway infrastructure designed to facilitate direct access to seaports and global markets, helping Afghanistan integrate more effectively into regional and international supply chains. Strengthened connectivity, in our view, is fundamental to creating economic opportunity and fostering lasting peace across the region. Madam President, Kazakhstan firmly believes that sustainable development is indispensable for Afghanistan’s long-term stability. We therefore welcome the broad support with which the General Assembly adopted the resolution establishing the United Nations Regional Centre for the SDGs for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. Institutionalization of the Center is progressing steadily in close cooperation with the UN Secretariat. We are convinced that it will serve as an important platform for addressing transboundary issues, strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing policy coherence, and ensuring more effective delivery of international assistance. We also see significant value in close coordination between the SDG Regional Center and UNAMA. By aligning development and political efforts, these two UN mechanisms can generate meaningful synergies that contribute to stability, resilience, and sustainable growth in Afghanistan and the surrounding region. Kazakhstan calls on the international community to continue supporting Central Asia’s initiatives aimed at assisting Afghanistan. The Doha meetings have reaffirmed the importance of sustained dialogue, including in the areas of economic development, humanitarian assistance, and regional cooperation. In conclusion, Kazakhstan remains firmly committed to a peaceful, self-reliant, and prosperous Afghanistan. We stand ready to work with all the partners in pursuit of this common objective. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Kazakhstan for the statement. And I now give the floor to the representative of Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you.

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, I congratulate Slovenia on assuming the presidency of Security Council and thank you, Madam Minister, for chairing this meeting. I thank Ms. Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative, and Mr. Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General, for their briefing. We have taken note of the views shared by Ms. Yari. Madam President, We take note of the Secretary-General’s latest report. The report confirmed that despite the tireless efforts and work of UNAMA and UN agencies, the Afghan people continue to face severe humanitarian and security challenges, persistent restrictions against women and girls, and threats from terrorism and narcotics, particularly synthetic drugs. In light of the report, I wish to underline the following points: First, We express deep concerns over the worsening humanitarian situation, particularly as winter approaches and the aftermath of recent earthquakes. The severe underfunding of the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan threatens to intensify food insecurity, restrict access to basic services, worsen malnutrition, and deepen inequality, especially for women and children. We echo the Secretary-General’s call in his report on donors to provide increased, predictable and flexible funding to sustain life-saving operations. In this context, we believe that meaningful and pragmatic engagement with the de facto authorities remain indispensable to addressing the humanitarian and economic crisis that threaten Afghanistan and regional stability. We reiterate that humanitarian assistance must never be politicized, sanctions must not impede economic stabilization or development, and Afghan national assets frozen abroad must be released without delay to meet the urgent needs of the Afghan people. Second, the situation of women and girls remains a matter of grave concern. Systematic restrictions on education, employment, and public participation are incompatible with the teaching of Islam and with human dignity. We call on the de facto authorities to reverse these measures. Despite serious concerns, constructive engagement remains the most effective path to promote responsible conduct, uphold human rights, including the rights of ethnic groups and women. In the meantime, the establishment of a truly representative and inclusive government is essential for achieving lasting peace and stability, preventing renewed conflict and large-scale refugee flows, and ensuring security, economic recovery, and respect for human rights, especially the rights of women and girls. The threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIL-K, remains alarming and demands sustainable international vigilance and collective action. The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly supports the emergence of Afghanistan as an independent, sovereign, united, and peaceful state, free from terrorism, conflict, and narcotics. Afghanistan must be supported for comprehensive and effective measures to dismantle all terrorist groups and to prevent the use of its territory to threaten or harm other states. We are deeply concerned by recent security and border incidents between Afghanistan and its neighbors. Iran shares nearly 2,000 kilometers of border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, and our security is inseparably linked to that both neighbors. Afghan territory must not be used as a base for terrorism or violence against neighboring countries, and the de facto authorities must bear full responsibility for preventing any form of support to terrorist entities. Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has engaged with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, during which he stated that Tehran stands ready to assist in de-escalation efforts between Kabul and Islamabad. He had also proposed convening a regional meeting of foreign ministers to provide a platform for consultation and the development of a coordinated regional approach. Fourth, given our long shared border and presence of millions of Afghan nationals, Development in Afghanistan have a direct and immediate impact on Iran. Engagement with the de facto authorities is therefore not a matter of choice, but a strategic necessity to manage risk, reduce costs, and prevent future challenges. Iran has maintained sustained dialogue and constructive cooperation with Afghanistan, including facilitating trade, strengthening border coordination, delivering humanitarian assistance, and supporting education and health services to promote regional stability and safeguard its legitimate interests. As the only viable transit corridor providing Afghanistan with direct access to the high seas, Chabahar Port has served as a critical humanitarian lifeline, facilitating the delivery of essential cargo to Afghanistan. The imposition of restrictive measures under the pretext of the so-called unilateral coercive measures, sanctions, would have only serious and detrimental consequences for Afghanistan economic stability and humanitarian situation. Iran seeks to fully utilize the capacity of Chabahar port to support Afghanistan economic recovery and humanitarian needs. Iran has borne a disproportionate burden for decades by hosting millions of Afghan refugees while itself being subjected to severe unilateral sanctions. This responsibility has imposed immense economic and security pressure, with annual costs reaching nearly 10 billion dollars in the absence of adequate international support. It is deeply regrettable that the international community has failed to meet even its most minimal obligation to support Afghan refugees in Iran. This failure is clearly reflected in a significant reduction of allocated assistance for 2026, a cut of more than 60%. This represents a serious breach of principles of international responsibility sharing. Iran has repeatedly and unequivocally stated, including from this very podium, that it cannot and will not continue to shoulder alone the disproportionate burden of hosting more than 6 million Afghan nationals without genuine international solidarity, equitable burden-sharing, and tangible financial support. The return of undocumented Afghan nationals has been conducted in full conformity with international law and humanitarian principles, with strict respect for human dignity. Finally, UNAMA continues to play a vital and indispensable role in addressing Afghanistan’s complex and multidimensional challenges. We reaffirm our support for its mandate and its effective and impartial implementation. The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to continue close cooperation with the United Nations, regional countries, and mechanism, and all other relevant stakeholders to promote stability and security and a better future for Afghanistan. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Islamic Republic of Iran for the statement. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject. So the meeting is adjourned.