Afghanistan Peace CampaignExperts emphasize that resolving the issue of Afghanistan’s representation at the United Nations depends on decisions by UN member states.
Zakir Jalali, the Second Political Director at Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says engagement between Afghanistan and the United Nations is effective, but believes it should be expanded at all levels, including Afghanistan’s representation at the UN.
In an interview with TOLOnews, Jalali said that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Kabul enjoys all the privileges required for the diplomatic mission of an international organization. However, he noted that Afghanistan’s current government still has no official representative at the United Nations.
“The person currently occupying Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations is not even a representative of the previous government,” Jalali said. “Therefore, our position is that UNAMA should consider this issue responsibly and, after nearly five years, expand and deepen its engagement with the Afghan government, just as UNAMA has maintained engagement with the government in Kabul and previously through the Doha process.”
Some analysts believe that continued engagement between Kabul and the United Nations could pave the way for expanding Afghanistan’s diplomatic relations with the international community.
“It is very important for Afghanistan to have its place at the United Nations and a permanent representative,” said political analyst Khalil Ahmad Nadim. “The United Nations should help create conditions for countries around the world to engage with Afghanistan and ultimately recognize it.”
Experts emphasize that resolving the issue of Afghanistan’s representation at the United Nations depends on decisions by UN member states and the organization’s formal procedures.
“Representation at the United Nations is achieved through the lawful accreditation of member states’ seats, based on specific legal and political criteria and after meeting the relevant requirements regarding the legitimate representation of governments,” said Sharif Ghalib, former policy adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Afghanistan’s former representative to the United Nations. “It is the primary gateway through which countries connect with the international system and its institutions.”
Recently, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Rabab Fatima, a Bangladeshi diplomat, as his Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.
The question now is whether the new head of UNAMA will be able to play an effective role in expanding engagement between Kabul and the United Nations and advancing the issue of Afghanistan’s representation at the organization.