Afghanistan Peace CampaignAmbassador Dorothy Shea
Chargé d ’Affaires ad interim
New York, New York
March 10, 2025
Chargé d ’Affaires ad interim
New York, New York
March 10, 2025
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Madam President, and thank you SRSG Roza Otunbayeva for your briefing. I would also like to thank Ms. Azadah Raz Mohammad for your remarks and I welcome the representative of Afghanistan.
We recognize the work of the UNAMA team, in very challenging conditions, to support the people of Afghanistan. UNAMA coordinates the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people; promotes good governance; and reports on the political and social developments in Afghanistan, including on human rights.
The security threat emanating from Afghanistan is a continuing driver of regional instability. The United States notes that, in February, the UN’s 1267 Monitoring Team echoed these concerns.
We are also concerned about the transnational threat posed by ISIS-K. We call on the Taliban to abide by their counterterrorism commitments.
The Taliban must ensure Afghanistan can never again be used as a safe haven for terrorist groups to threaten the security of the United States, our allies, or any country.
Madam President, colleagues, Afghanistan cannot achieve self-reliance and stability so long as the Afghan people remain subject to oppressive Taliban restrictions that strangle the economy. The situation for Afghan women and girls is particularly devastating given the over 80 edicts directly targeting their access to education, commercial activities, and overall participation in the economy. Furthermore, the December ban on women attending medical institutes will have dire consequences for all Afghans. The UN must be a stronger voice of the international community in pressing the Taliban to change course.
Over 22 million Afghans rely on emergency humanitarian assistance, making Afghanistan one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The Taliban’s repressive policies and Afghanistan’s struggling economy are drivers of human displacement, which strains the region’s limited resources and contributes to further destabilization.
The United States is skeptical of the Taliban’s willingness to engage in good faith in the Doha Process. We cannot build confidence with a group that unjustly detains Americans, has a long history of harboring terrorist groups on its soil, and ignores the basic rights and needs of its own people.
We look forward to working with members of this Council to maintain consensus on our collective demand that the Taliban act responsibly.
I thank you.