UNITED NATIONS — Naseer Ahmad Faiq, the charge d’affaires of Afghanistan’s permanent mission to the United Nations, stated that the suspension of Afghanistan’s voting rights in the UN General Assembly is a “technical issue, not a political one.”
In a chat with Amu, Faiq explained that according to the UN Charter, any member of the General Assembly that fails to pay its dues for two consecutive years loses its voting rights until the necessary funds are paid or valid reasons are provided showing that the issue is beyond the member state’s control.
“The permanent mission of Afghanistan has taken timely and appropriate action in accordance with the existing rules and procedures of the United Nations. We hope this issue will be resolved after completing the necessary processes,” Faiq added.
The United Nations announced this week that Afghanistan has lost its voting rights in the General Assembly due to unpaid membership dues and failure to provide reasonable explanations for the non-payment.
Afghanistan’s representative to the UN was unable to provide necessary and logical reasons for the country’s failure to pay its dues, according to reports.
According to a list published by the UN, Afghanistan, Comoros, Ecuador, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, and Venezuela have not paid their UN membership dues for the past two years.
However, Comoros, Ecuador and Somalia were exempted from this rule after providing justifications, while Afghanistan and Venezuela were stripped of their voting rights due to inadequate explanations.
Some experts argue that Afghanistan had sufficient reasons for non-payment compared to other countries on the list.
