UNITED NATIONS — Afghans are growing increasingly frustrated with Taliban interference in their private lives and fear further international isolation, the head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan told the Security Council on Monday.
Roza Otunbayeva, the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said during a Security Council briefing that Afghans across the country have expressed concerns over the Taliban’s tightening grip on daily life.
“UNAMA and the U.N. family have constant contacts across the country with Afghans from all walks of life. More and more Afghans are approaching UNAMA to express their concerns, and they deserve to be elevated to this Council,” she said. “Afghans increasingly resent the intrusions on their private lives by the de facto authorities. They fear Afghanistan’s further isolation from the rest of the world.”
Otunbayeva acknowledged that many Afghans welcome the absence of war, greater stability, and improved freedom of movement—at least for men—but warned that the current situation does not amount to true peace.
“This is not a peace in which they can live in dignity, with their human rights respected and with confidence in a stable future,” she said.
No progress on human rights
Otunbayeva also noted that diplomatic efforts by Muslim nations, including delegations to Afghanistan and discussions at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Islamabad, have done little to change the Taliban’s stance.
“The recommendations from Islamic leaders to the Taliban have been ineffective,” she said, adding that the group has shown no signs of easing its restrictions, particularly those targeting women and girls.
She emphasized that Taliban decrees restricting women’s rights have no foundation in Islam.
Despite Afghanistan having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, she said, the Taliban announced in December a ban on women studying medicine. She warned that the Taliban’s enforcement of their interpretation of Amr bil Maruf wa Nahi Anil Munkar—the Islamic principle of promoting virtue and preventing vice—has had a deeply negative impact on Afghan society.
“The situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is worsening,” she cautioned.
Humanitarian needs
Otunbayeva stressed that a significant portion of the Afghan population remains dependent on humanitarian aid, with 23 million people in need of assistance. She said that funding shortfalls have severely impacted relief efforts, warning that reductions in financial support have already harmed 1.8 million Afghan children.
“Cutting financial aid to Afghanistan has been problematic and has reduced the ability to provide assistance,” she said.
As international pressure mounts on the Taliban, Otunbayeva’s remarks underscored the growing hardships faced by Afghans, particularly women, under the Taliban’s rule.
