While discussing the situation in Afghanistan one year after Taliban rule at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Chargé d’Affaires of Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the United Nations, stated that the prospects for a prosperous and secure Afghanistan are “bleak and opaque.”
The Afghan official expressed concern about Afghanistan’s outlook during a UNSC session on August 29 that focused on the social and economic situation in Afghanistan.
Faiq said that the Afghan people have been affected by the combined effects of several natural disasters and “man-made catastrophes,” which have led to Afghanistan experiencing the worst social, political, and humanitarian crisis.
He also discussed the “systematic erasure” of women and girls from society and public life, pointing out that during the Taliban regime, Afghan women and girls are denied access to their basic rights.
In addition to conceding a substantial decline in corruption and a reduction in civilian casualties, Faiq maintained that the Taliban’s one-year accomplishments include the rise in poverty, mass migration, and unemployment.
The assassination of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul and recent ISIS operations in various parts of Afghanistan have raised concerns about Afghanistan being a “safe haven” for both international and regional terrorist organizations, he voiced concern.
Faiq urged the Taliban to uphold all citizens’ human rights and to fulfill its pledges and international duties without discrimination based on gender or religious identity.
This comes as Markus Potzel, the acting head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stated that the Taliban seek international recognition based on their territorial control rather than complying with the international community’s norms.
