US envoy Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council that international assistance to Afghanistan should be reassessed, noting that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has the largest budget of any UN special political mission while Taliban restrictions still prevent Afghan female staff from working in its offices.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, Waltz said the Taliban’s policies—particularly restrictions on women and girls—have deepened the country’s humanitarian and economic crises four years after the Taliban returned to power.
“It has been four long, frankly painful years since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan,” Waltz said. “The Taliban, through their policies, inflict constant hardship and suffering on the people of Afghanistan.”
He said the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s rights and access to basic services have contributed to what he described as a humanitarian disaster and economic crisis.
Waltz said the Taliban have obstructed international assistance and hindering the work of UNAMA, including by barring Afghan female staff from entering UN premises across the country.
“The Taliban’s actions demonstrate bad faith,” he said, adding that the United States remains skeptical of the Taliban’s willingness to meet international commitments or respect Afghanistan’s obligations.
Waltz urged the Security Council to carefully evaluate continued international engagement and funding for the UN mission in Afghanistan.
“UNAMA’s budget is the largest of any special political mission in the world, even after a reduction in its 2026 budget by 15%,” he said. “This council must consider carefully the funds we collectively provide when female national staff cannot even enter their offices.”
The US envoy also said the Taliban have been engaged in “hostage diplomacy,” referring to the detention of foreign nationals, including Americans.
“We cannot build confidence with a group that continues to detain innocent Americans and ignores the basic needs of the Afghan people,” Waltz said.
He said Washington’s top priority in Afghanistan remains protecting US citizens and preventing terrorist threats from emerging from Afghan territory.
Waltz welcomed the recent renewal of the mandate for the UN monitoring team overseeing Security Council sanctions related to the Taliban.
He added that the international community should continue pressing the Taliban to take responsible actions.
“The people of Afghanistan deserve no less,” Waltz said.
