Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The security situation in Afghanistan has improved and armed conflict has declined since the Taliban returned to power five years ago, but the progress alone is not enough to ensure lasting stability, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Thursday.
In a statement marking five years since the Taliban takeover, UNAMA said the reduction in violence has brought “tangible benefits” to many Afghans and created opportunities to focus on economic development, regional cooperation and other priorities.
The UN mission also identified the Taliban’s ban on opium poppy cultivation as a positive development. However, it said major political, human rights and security challenges remain unresolved.
UNAMA highlighted restrictions on women and girls, concerns over terrorism, limits on civic space and freedom of expression, and restrictions affecting female humanitarian and UN workers as among the challenges facing Afghanistan.
“Five years have shown that Afghans, after decades of war, place great value on peace and stability,” Georgette Gagnon, the UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan and acting head of UNAMA, said in the statement.
“But sustainable peace and prosperity require more than the absence of conflict,” Gagnon said, adding that Afghanistan’s future depends on building a society where the rights and potential of all Afghans can be realized and institutions are accountable.
The Taliban seized power in August 2021 after the previous Afghanistan government collapsed and the United States and NATO completed their military withdrawal following two decades of war. Since then, large-scale fighting has declined significantly in many parts of Afghanistan.
UNAMA said the reduction in violence has created opportunities for economic improvement and stronger regional cooperation. At the same time, it warned that restrictions on women and girls are having immediate and long-term social and economic consequences.
Under Taliban policies, women and girls have been barred from much of secondary and higher education and face extensive restrictions on employment and participation in public life. UNAMA said these restrictions also remain a major obstacle to broader international engagement and investment in Afghanistan.
Gagnon called on the Taliban to lift restrictions on women and girls and allow them to participate fully in education, employment and public life. She also urged the authorities to protect fundamental rights and freedoms and address international concerns over security and terrorism.
UNAMA said terrorism remains an unresolved challenge and that international concerns over terrorist threats continue to complicate Afghanistan’s relations with neighboring countries and the wider international community. The mission did not name a specific group or refer to a particular attack in the statement.