Afghanistan Peace CampaignAntónio Guterres added that engagement with the Islamic Emirate in some areas has had positive effects.
António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said at a press conference in New York that the organization is pursuing four objectives in Afghanistan.
He said a fundamental condition for sustainable peace in Afghanistan is that the country’s institutions must be genuinely inclusive and represent all ethnic groups and all segments of Afghan society. He also stressed respect for human rights, especially the rights of women and girls, as well as preventing the activities of terrorist groups and combating drug trafficking, noting that progress has been made in some areas.
Guterres said: “We remain totally committed to four essential objectives in Afghanistan. First, to make sure that the Afghan institutions are really inclusive and that all ethnic groups are represented and all sectors of society are represented. We consider that a basic condition for the consolidation of peace. Second point, we believe, it’s absolutely essential to respect human rights, but essentially rights of women and girls. Rosemary DiCarlo managed to guarantee the possibility of our staff women to work in the field, but not in our headquarters, and we are very frustrated with that.”
He added that engagement with the Islamic Emirate in some areas has had positive effects. Referring to cooperation with the Islamic Emirate to support the private sector, he said this has made it possible for women to work in several fields in Afghanistan.
However, he criticized that these efforts are still not sufficient, and described restrictions on girls’ education and women’s access to UN offices as worrying.
The UN Secretary-General said: “This is a dilemma that we face every day. Should we go on engaging in some specific areas? Some of them with some positive impact, namely in relation to the private sector, it has been possible to have women working in several areas of Afghanistan. But at the same time, we are deeply frustrated by the fact that we remain without our staff, our female staff, not being able to go to our headquarters. They are able to work in the field, but not in our headquarters, what is unacceptable. And the fact that we still do not have access of girls to, I would say, standard secondary education and above.”
Meanwhile, some political analysts say the presence of UN representatives in Afghanistan is beneficial in improving the country’s links with the international community.
Abdul Sadiq Hamidzoy, a political analyst, said: “The presence of UN representatives in Afghanistan affects the political and economic environment and can help develop Afghanistan’s relations with countries in the region and the world.”
Enayatullah Homam, another political analyst, said: “The United Nations can act as a megaphone and a channel for agreements between the two sides. Both sides can negotiate there, but the UN alone cannot make decisions, and decisions made are not enforceable.”
Last Friday, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, visited Kabul on a three-day trip and held meetings with officials of the Islamic Emirate to review ongoing challenges and explore ways for constructive engagement.