Roz Otunbayeva, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, is slated to present her quarterly report on the situation in Afghanistan to the UN Security Council (UNSC) within the next three days, according to a source speaking to Amu.
This presentation marks the second meeting at the UNSC on Afghanistan in the past 10 days, following a session chaired by the UN Chief on Feb. 18-19 in Doha. That meeting underscored the need to appoint a UN special envoy for Afghanistan.
It remains uncertain whether the upcoming UNSC meeting on Afghanistan, scheduled for Wednesday, will address the appointment of the UN special envoy and the extension of the mission for the UN special coordinator for Afghanistan.
The recommendation for appointing a UN special envoy to foster both national and international engagement on Afghanistan came from the UN special coordinator for Afghanistan, Feridun H. Sinirlioglu. It was later approved by the UNSC with 13 votes in favor last December. However, the appointment has been delayed due to international conflicts of interest.
Political analyst Ajmal Hijran warned, “If the Taliban don’t align with the aspirations of the Afghan people and the international community, the UNSC might take a stance similar to that of 2001.”
Sinirlioglu, whose mission concluded last Thursday, emphasized the precarious position of women and girls in Afghanistan. The special envoy aims to facilitate dialogue among Afghans to establish an inclusive political system.
Hadia Sahibzada, a women’s rights activist, implored the UNSC to concentrate on the release of women’s rights defenders currently detained by the Taliban. “We urge the UN Security Council to address the arbitrary detentions of those taken from Kabul’s streets to prisons and to demand the unconditional release of Manizha Sediqi from the Taliban’s Pul-e Charkhi prison,” she stated.
As the UN endeavors to find a resolution for the Afghan crisis, competing interests between regional countries and Western nations have hindered a unified approach to appointing the UN special envoy. Despite opposition from Taliban officials, the United States has expressed its support for the position.
