YouSaid · the spoken record

Lyons

lines on the record: 96
first: 2001-01-23
most recent: 2022-03-02
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I implore the Security Council to give us the strong, solid mandate that will be required. Without it, I fear for the future.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“But I would be remiss if I did not remind Council members that they are about to approach a critical moment in their relationship with Afghanistan. The Security Council has the opportunity, in the next two weeks, to develop and design a much-needed, relevant and solid political mission that will help to build back the country, that will help to build the capacity, that will help to attract back the all-important development dollars and will avoid the constant collapse of Afghanistan into a humanitarian crisis. Have not the Afghan people suffered enough? They will need Council members’ collective commitment to move the country forward in a political mission supporting all Afghans. Rebuilding is what political missions do, in concert with the authorities and the citizens of the country.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“The Security Council has the lead decision-making power. Its deliberations and decisions on the mandate in the coming weeks have immense consequences. Yes, they will resonate across the region and the world but, more important, they will be felt in every village in Afghanistan. I would like to make a personal plea to the Security Council. Those of us who work for the Council stand in awe and admiration of the work that the Security Council does, of the weight of the world that Council members carry on their collective shoulders and in their collective hearts. As the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, I recognize how busy Council members’ schedules are and the many issues that they are addressing, and even the natural internal tensions that happen within any organization.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“Fourthly, we must engage in a discussion about political inclusion to ensure that the concerns of all Afghans in their very rich diversity are in fact reflected in decision-making. Fifthly, we must support a structured policy dialogue with the de facto authorities that supports this process of securing domestic legitimacy, as well as addresses the key concerns of members of the Security Council, namely, counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism and regional security. Combined, the elements I just mentioned will allow us to work with the de facto authorities and other Afghans, and indeed all Council members, to establish a pathway for the Afghan State to rejoin the larger international community. The international community, represented by the 15 countries in the Council Chamber, must make a choice.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“The mandate the Security Council adopts for UNAMA will send a signal from the international community to the Afghan people that they have not been forgotten, and to the Taliban de facto authorities that the world does not desire future conflict in Afghanistan, but that it will need to recognize basic standards of global citizenship in order to be accepted by the international community. If UNAMA is appropriately equipped and empowered by the Security Council, a busy but worthwhile agenda awaits us. First, we must address the economic crisis that I mentioned earlier. Secondly, we must work with the Taliban de facto authorities to ensure strong, vital, high-level education for all girls and boys to help the country move forward. Thirdly, we must continue supporting respect for internationally recognized of human rights.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“But this will give us the opportunity, on behalf of all Council members and the rest of the international community, to help shape a future for the people of Afghanistan, free of conflict and where they can peacefully pursue their quest for prosperity, participation and respect for their rights. The Secretary-General, in his report to the Security Council, notes that the situation ahead is uncertain. He has therefore proposed a one-year mandate, after which we can evaluate the results of a sustained political engagement.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“We believe, as a political mission, that we can do much more to work with the de facto authorities on the main issues facing Afghan society. But a political mission implies a political purpose. That purpose, implied in the Secretary-General’s report (S/2022/64), is ultimately to see Afghanistan, one of the original Members of the United Nations, rejoin the Organization as a Member in good standing, benefit from the resources of the international community and contribute to the global discussion on issues of common concern. Naturally, working with the de facto authority in no way means condoning everything that it does.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“We continue to work with the de facto authorities on investigative processes, protocols, procedures and due diligence that must be put in place for all these cases. Recent sweeping house-to-house searches in Kabul, carried out by the main security institutions ostensibly as a crime-fighting measure, are also of concern. I will raise this with the de facto authorities as part of our ongoing collaboration on such cases. I am confident that our communications on these issues will continue to improve. Afghanistan indeed presents a complicated situation, with positive and negative trends occurring simultaneously. UNAMA has so far been able to address many issues through constructive engagement and cooperation with the de facto authorities, both on humanitarian delivery as well as on some of the sensitive issues that I just noted.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“We are concerned by restrictions on women’s and girls’ fundamental rights, of course, by extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, and by failure to respect minorities or uphold freedoms of assembly and expression. We were extremely vocal on the need to release the disappeared women protesters and their family members last month, and indeed they were released. However, another group of women was arbitrarily arrested. Nevertheless, before coming into the Chamber this morning, we received news from Kabul that that group has also been released. Naturally, our team in Kabul is working to verify those reports, and I will be following up with the de facto authorities when I return. But those releases continue to be good news.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“This clash of perspectives forms the basis of a serious gulf and distrust that must be addressed, which is what UNAMA has been doing these past six months, and what we hope the Council will be giving us a mandate to continue to do in the year ahead, namely, to bridge this gulf for the betterment of all Afghans. In response everything I mentioned, we have articulated to the Taliban the concerns of the international community, and most notably the instructions from this Chamber. As UNAMA, we must continue to report on what we see, even as we continue to build an understanding and a working relationship with the de facto authorities.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“This complements another important point made to me recently by the de facto Foreign Minister, namely, that their diplomatic policy is to ensure that Afghanistan also does not become an arena of competition between other Powers or countries. Most importantly, they complain that these positive achievements are being undermined by an undeclared economic war against them by the international community that has greatly affected them and resulted in a choking of their economy. They also note that it is exacerbating the suffering of the population.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“They also point to public universities being reopened and their desire to see Afghans — all boys and all girls — educated to a high international standard. On this issue, the Minister of Education recently stated that the plan to reopen schools for girls and boys had been finalized and is now awaiting Cabinet approval. We all anticipate with great hope and determination the reopening of the schools on 22 March. In addition, yesterday, on the anniversary of the signing of the Doha agreement some two years ago, the Taliban reiterated their declared commitment to ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a threat to any country and expressed their desire for good relations with all States and international organizations.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“They also note that their amnesty declaration has been honoured for the most part and that violations are not State-sanctioned and that those violators will be punished. Of course, security problems remain, and I would like to note the tragic and senseless killing last week of eight polio vaccinators in northern Afghanistan, which was particularly unfortunate, given the progress that we have been making with the de facto authorities on expanding the polio programme. Of course, our sympathy is with the families of the vaccinators. The Taliban also highlight progress on the economic front, including strong revenues despite decreased economic activity, reduced Government corruption and a budget that does not require donor resources — again, one of the first in several decades.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“We must acknowledge, however, that, as we move forward, there remains an enduring distrust between the Taliban and much of the international community and, yes, even countries of the region, including Afghanistan’s neighbours. The Taliban feel misunderstood and complain to us that our reports do not reflect the reality as they see it. They tell me that we underappreciate their achievements and that we exaggerate the problems — problems that they acknowledge, I must say, and that they claim they are trying to solve. Above all, the Taliban have told us that they should receive greater acknowledgement for the security that prevails in Afghanistan. In the six months since 15 August, there has been a 78 per cent decline in civilian casualties as a result of the reduction of the conflict.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“When UNAMA’s mandate was rolled over for six months in September 2021, it was still too early for the international community — indeed, perhaps, even this Chamber — to react to the Taliban’s seizure of power. Six months of indecision, marked by continued sanctions, albeit with some relief, and unstructured political engagement, are eroding vital social and economic coping systems and pushing the population into greater uncertainty. Let me make clear that we do not believe that we can truly assist the Afghan people without working with the de facto authorities. This must be difficult for some to accept, but it is essential for the future.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“To date, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has taken all conceivable measures to inject liquidity into the economy, including the physical import of cash. UNAMA, together with United Nations partners and the World Bank, is also seeking to establish — on a temporary basis, I would emphasize — a humanitarian exchange facility to allow a scale-up in humanitarian programming, which, as Council members know, is badly needed in this coming year, and will provide access to United States dollars to legitimate business to enable them to import goods and allow the supply chain to function once again. We will continue to engage with the Central Bank and the de facto authorities on this facility, and, of course, with Member States on further support to the all-important banking sector.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“We welcome the many recent General Licences issued by the United States Treasury — and most particularly, the recent General Licence 20, which is aimed at facilitating commercial and financial activity and allowing work with all governing institutions, which is a huge step forward, albeit with some restrictions with regard to sanctioned individuals. But other challenges to reviving the economy remain. These include the collapse of demand, owing to the cessation of all development assistance — all development assistance — restrictions on international payments, lack of access to hard currency reserves, lack of liquidity, and constraints on the Central Bank to carry out some of its core functions.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“Providing short-term relief, however, is not the same as giving hope or preparing a strong foundation for Afghan self-reliance. Let us be realistic: what we have done has been only to buy a little time. It is imperative that we not find ourselves six months from now in the situation we faced six months ago, with millions of Afghans facing another winter of starvation and the only tool at our disposal being expensive and unsustainable humanitarian handouts. It is now most urgent to address Afghanistan’s economy. I would therefore like to take a moment to highlight some of the key challenges. I want to start by emphasizing that we are nearing a tipping point that will see more businesses close and more people unemployed and falling into poverty. It is approaching a point of irreversibility.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“Ms. Lyons: The United Nations and its implementing partners have spent the past winter months doing everything we can to meet the growing humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. That has been possible due to the generous support of donors, the ongoing support of the Security Council and access to all parts of the country, assured by the de facto authorities. As the winter season comes to an end, we believe that we have perhaps averted our worst fears of famine and widespread starvation. Our humanitarian agencies were able to reach nearly 20 million people with some form of assistance in 397 out of Afghanistan’s 401 districts. That is the first time we have achieved that degree of reach and coverage in more than two decades.”
2022-03-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8984 (2022) · source
“Indeed, we look forward to the Council’s deliberations on UNAMA’s future mandate in the coming weeks, and we trust in its support.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“As the Secretary-General has just noted, he is about to present recommendations on a future political mission in Afghanistan. Those are based on a presumed consensus that it is in no one’s interest to see a collapse of the current State in Afghanistan, but also that continued engagement with the Taliban can and will lead to progress along a negotiated pathway that delivers for the people of Afghanistan, the region and the rest of the world. Testing that hypothesis will be our task in the months ahead. I thank the Council once again for this opportunity. The debate today and the high level of its participants shows the people of Afghanistan that their plight is not being ignored. It demonstrates our sincere hope that the opportunity provided by the current end to the conflict can and will transition to a dignified and responsible peace.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“We welcome the increased involvement of the OIC as a truly substantive partner and look forward to its engagement with us and the de facto authorities on inclusivity, human rights, girls’ education and a broad set of common issues. I am happy to report to the Council that I had a highly productive meeting with the OIC’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, and that we are preparing together a comprehensive agenda of cooperation. The commitment of the United Nations in August to stay and deliver means that we are well positioned now to continue supporting the Afghan people, acting as an enabler of others who are willing to provide additional support and engaging as a bridge with the de facto authorities on the way forward.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Given the common interest in addressing that threat, and if sufficient trust can be established, this could be an area for potential cooperation between the international community and the de facto authorities. A new conversation, a new dialogue on this is warranted. I would like to take a moment to highlight the cautious but constructive approach that countries of the region have taken towards Afghanistan since last August. Numerous meetings have been held in various formats, as detailed in the Secretary-General’s report (S/2021/759). Of particular note was the recent extraordinary meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), hosted by Pakistan in December. The OIC agreed to establish a humanitarian trust fund for Afghanistan and appointed a Special Envoy.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Thirdly, there must be more meaningful actions behind the Taliban’s promise to contain terrorist groups in Afghanistan. Since my previous briefing (see S/PV.8908), it appears that the de facto authorities have attempted to constrain the Islamic State’s ability to carry out major attacks, and yet small-scale attacks are still being carried out, particularly against religious minorities. The existence of numerous terrorist groups in Afghanistan remains a broad international and especially regional concern. The desire of the de facto authorities to take on that threat across the board remains to be convincingly demonstrated. Yet at the same time, a certain amount of realism is required regarding its capacity to do so.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Secondly, there is the all-important issue of girls’ education. We welcome the recent statements by the de facto authorities’ leaders that girls of all ages will be educated nationwide. Some international donors have declared themselves ready to pay financial incentives to Afghan teachers for January and February, but future incentives will likely be determined by whether the de facto authorities deliver on their stated commitments. I am happy to report that UNICEF and the Ministry of Education are having intensive sessions on technical preparations to open schools for all Afghan boys and girls in March. UNAMA also continues to meet with the de facto authorities regarding higher education, a vital and often overlooked sector that was particularly dynamic in the past 20 years but that has been devastated by the recent economic crisis.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“The international community would of course support such a process, but it must be initiated and entirely shaped by Afghans within and outside the country. Inclusion, furthermore, should never be seen as an exterior demand but as a long-standing and required source of domestic legitimacy for such a diverse country and as entirely critical to ongoing stability. For now the war has ended, but peace has not yet been consolidated. The current comparative stability is in many ways underpinned by conflict fatigue and by communities and individuals focusing on mere survival. That peace, that stability is thus fragile and could unravel if measures are not taken to govern in a way that builds trust and accountability and that focuses on the genuine needs of the people, including the need and the right to participate in their Government.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“No Afghans should live in fear of a knock at their door in the night, and no family should be left to wonder about the whereabouts and fate of their loved ones. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is engaging with the de facto authorities on this and other incidents, urging them to investigate such cases, to provide clear information and to hold perpetrators accountable. We will continue to do so, and I expect that our strong communications with the de facto authorities will indeed lead to results in that area. How can the Taliban demonstrate a clearer commitment to the path of governing based on trust rather than on fear, if that is indeed the path they choose to take? First, it is past time for them to initiate a wider dialogue on a process for national reconciliation.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Despite announcements of general amnesties for those who worked for or defended the former Government, we continue to receive credible allegations of killings, enforced disappearances and other violations that are not being addressed by the judiciary. In addition, we are seeing a growing number of detentions of political opponents, civil-society representatives and those who voice dissent. We note as well the increasing contraction of media space, which is partly for economic reasons but also due to pressure from the de facto authorities to report in ways that are not critical of them. I must stress to the Council that we remain extremely concerned about the fate of several women activists who were abducted from their homes and have disappeared.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“I would also like to take a moment to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and your very capable team for that timely initiative, which, we all understand, was not to imply legitimacy but, indeed, to advance an inclusive dialogue. It has succeeded in doing that. On the other hand, here on the ground there is compelling evidence of an emerging environment of intimidation and a deterioration in respect for human rights. That suggests that the consolidation of Government authority may be leading towards control of the population by fear rather than by understanding and responding to its needs. Afghans now live with different — but no less real — fears than those they faced during decades of war.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“With regard to political inclusion, there have been some signs of wider consultation with political and civil society actors. Senior Taliban officials met with ethnic minority representatives, but to date there have been no visible results in terms of greater ethnic inclusion in governing structures. The de facto Foreign Minister met with some former political leaders in Tehran earlier this month. There was also the meeting held over the past few days in Oslo between a high-level Taliban delegation and Afghan civil society actors, including my friend, Ms. Seraj, from inside and outside the country. Their joint communiqué highlights that “understanding and joint cooperation are the only solution to all the problems of Afghanistan”. It is noteworthy that the Taliban delegation widely acknowledged the communiqué. Now they must act on it.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“The de facto authorities have taken some steps to function more effectively as a Government, including the agreement on a budget fully financed by their own revenues, the payment of Government salaries, reduced corruption, the collection of revenues, the successful management of the currency devaluation crisis at the end of last year and efforts to engage the private sector. The well-organized economic conference that they hosted last week was an opportunity to present their economic vision of achieving self-reliance based on the private sector-led growth. However, we all know that for that to happen, the private sector needs an end to uncertainty, a stable policy environment, a reliable rule-of-law framework and an educated population if it is to truly thrive.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“We therefore hope that in the next few months we will see clear actions, not just announcements, that demonstrate that the Taliban are committed to a pathway of future engagement with the international community. By pathway I mean a series of clear, mutually understood commitments, with human rights at the forefront, which would result in Afghanistan rejoining the community of nations by securing domestic legitimacy that aligns with Afghanistan’s modern history and the aspirations of its population, its multi-ethnic character and its traditional Islamic identity.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Yet we know that donors are understandably reluctant to show more flexibility until they have a better idea of what sort of government the de facto Administration intends to create. Many donors were hesitant last fall to engage in ways that might help the de facto authorities consolidate their Administration or appear to legitimize the regime. That hesitancy has been temporarily overcome in order to help the Afghan people, who were suffering from an extended humanitarian crisis and facing a brutal winter. However, it is clear that donors, who face their own domestic constituencies, are still not satisfied with the political progress in Afghanistan and are watching closely for more encouraging signals.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“That brings the total ask for 2022 to $8 billion. That comprehensive and system-wide strategy introduces a basic human needs pillar that will deliver essential services, such as health and education, as well as providing maintenance for community infrastructure and promoting livelihoods and social cohesion, with a specific emphasis on the socioeconomic needs of women and girls. Those investments are designed to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation and to generate a sufficient level of economic stability to reverse the steady increase in poverty rates that we have seen, while ensuring that the critical donor funds are not diverted or misused.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“We have therefore simultaneously been advocating, and will continue to advocate, for a relaxation of sanctions that prevent the full delivery of essential services and continue to starve the economy of liquidity. Because of the liquidity crisis and the inability of banks to operate, we face an extraordinary situation where people have money in the bank but do not have full access to it to feed their families or run their businesses. The adoption of the humanitarian exemption resolution 2615 (2021) and the issuing of new general licences by the United States last December provided some welcome assurances that facilitated our humanitarian activities. I am also pleased to announce that this afternoon in Kabul we launched our One-UN Transitional Engagement Framework for Afghanistan, for which we are seeking an additional $3.6 billion.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“That expansion of assistance was possible in part because, due to the improved security situation after 15 August, humanitarian actors were able to access parts of the country that had been inaccessible for years. It is clear from the above how much we have accomplished, but, as we all know, the humanitarian needs continue to be pressing. The approximately $1 billion that we asked for last year to address the humanitarian crisis must now be supplemented by $4.4 billion in additional humanitarian assistance for 2022, as set out in our recent appeal. To put it in perspective, that is roughly the same amount as donors spent on the entire operating budget of the Government of Afghanistan in a given year. It is quite simply unsustainable over the long term.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“In addition to what the Secretary-General just said in that regard, I would like to begin with a report of what we were able to achieve. By the end of 2021, as noted by the Secretary- General, almost 18 million people had been provided with life-saving assistance, including 10 million people with food assistance and 1.5 million with health care. That compares with 11 million people assisted during 2020, when ongoing drought conditions and the coronavirus disease pandemic had already pushed humanitarian actors to exceed their initial planning targets. Last year, more than 2,000 primary and secondary health facilities in all provinces were supported by humanitarian assistance, including 450 tons of imported life-saving health supplies.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Ms. Lyons: Your participation, Mr. Prime Minister, and that of the Secretary-General, Council members and colleagues at this debate speak volumes about the continued importance of Afghanistan to the international community, as well as the rising concerns of us all about the future of the country. It is, indeed, a pleasure to be here with my friend, Ms. Mahbouba Seraj, and to listen to her important message on behalf of civil society. When Kabul fell to Taliban forces in August, the United Nations made a commitment to stay and deliver to support the Afghan people at a moment of humanitarian crisis and political uncertainty. A primary focus of our work, with the generous assistance of donors, was to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation as far as possible in the face of this difficult winter.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“That is, to be frank, the only way to avoid losing much of the progress of the past 20 years. Such a road map — such a pathway — and continued engagement would pave the way for more constructive exchanges on a wide variety of international priorities, including on the de facto authority’s responsibilities to the people of Afghanistan to implement the obligations of the many treaty bodies supported by the Council and to which the Afghan State is a party. I know that no one can guarantee that all those measures in and of themselves will ensure a better future for the Afghan people, but we can guarantee that, without making this concerted effort, their lives will most certainly worsen. This is not the time to turn our backs on the Afghan people.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“The problems of Afghanistan are not limited to the region. The best way to promote stability and future international support is for the Taliban to avoid the isolation that characterized their previous experience in power. That will require a sustained and structured policy dialogue among the Taliban de facto authorities, other Afghan stakeholders and the wider region and the international community. UNAMA is well positioned to play a vital role in this important dialogue, depending on our future mandate. The goal should be to establish a gradual but concerted pathway spelling out concrete steps for establishing constructive relations between Afghanistan and the world at large, with of course the well-being and rights of the Afghan people being the central goal of all these efforts.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“India also recently hosted a conference of some countries of the region at the national security adviser level. Those are all indications of how strongly the countries of the region are stepping up at this critical time. All of those formats rightly stress the need for stability in Afghanistan as well as the urgent requirement to combat illegal drug-trafficking and transnational terrorism. Countries of the region, like the rest of the international community, have called for a more inclusive Government in Afghanistan as well as the need for girls’ education, the return of women to work and respect for human rights and the rights of minorities. On those issues there is a strong regional and international consensus. The world is speaking with one voice to the Taliban on those issues.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“The ongoing paralysis in the banking sector will push more of the financial system into unaccountable and unregulated informal money exchanges, which can only help facilitate terrorism, trafficking and further drug smuggling. Those pathologies will first affect Afghanistan, but then they will infect the region. Countries of the region have created or continued various important formats of support. Both the Moscow format meetings and the so-called troika plus — involving China, Pakistan, Russia and the United States — have continued to meet. I am also happy to report that two meetings have been held, in Islamabad and in Tehran — and I believe the next one will be held in Beijing — in the new format of meetings of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbours.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“We have created an independent facility for the payment of salaries in the health sector, but that needs to be expanded and replicated to many other essential service areas. We will need intense dialogue with the donors on those issues. For the next three or four months, we must focus on helping the most vulnerable Afghans endure the winter. And we must do so without undermining the institutions and coping mechanisms that are keeping the rest of the population from sliding into greater vulnerability. On another disturbing note, I must report that the reality of the current situation threatens to heighten the risk of extremism. The continued deterioration of the formal economy will provide impetus to the informal economy, including illicit drugs, arms flows and human trafficking.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“My key message, however, is that humanitarian assistance is not enough. The international community needs urgently to find a way to provide financial support to health care workers in state hospitals, staff in food security programmes and eventually to teachers — provided that the right of girls to education is emphatically met. That can be done only through the institutions and delivery mechanisms that have been built at great cost over the past two decades with the contribution of many of the countries present here. I want to assure the Council that every effort will be made by the United Nations to ensure that funds provided through those delivery mechanisms will not be diverted to, or by, the Taliban.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“We — the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the many United Nations agencies functioning in Afghanistan — are grateful to the donors, who have now almost fully funded the September flash appeal. By the third quarter of this year, the United Nations humanitarian organizations and their accompanying non-governmental organizations have reached close to 10.5 million people with assistance across the country. That includes food assistance, agriculture and livelihood assistance, treatment for acute malnutrition of children, medical consultations and water trucking to reach thousands of drought-affected people. As I am sure the Council knows, Afghanistan has faced this year the second drought in four years, while we again anticipate another drought year in the years to come. The support cannot stop there.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“That will likely indeed worsen over the winter, making Afghanistan the country with the largest population in the world facing the greatest risk of food insecurity — 23 million of a population of 38 million facing the greatest risk of food insecurity. I repeat: the largest population of any country in the world. Furthermore, while the risk of famine was once mostly in rural areas, 10 out of 11 of Afghanistan’s most densely populated urban areas are now anticipated to be equally at emergency levels of food insecurity. Against tremendous constraints — but backed by the incredible generosity of the many donors — we are delivering significant amounts of humanitarian aid.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“Civil servants’ salaries cannot be paid in full, if at all. Hospitals are running out of medicine and turning away patients. Prices have gone up as goods have become scarcer, instituting a punishing tax on the poorest and most vulnerable Afghans. Fuel and food prices have risen as winter approaches. An entire complex social and economic system is shutting down in part due to the assets freeze, the suspension of non-humanitarian aid flows and sanctions. According to a recent United Nations report, almost one in two Afghans face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity — one in two of a population of some 38 million. As we move into winter and households consume their very limited food stocks, we fear and predict that up to 23 million Afghans will be in crisis or at emergency levels of food insecurity — among the worst in the world.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“Widespread fears of life under Taliban rule prompted the horrific scenes that everyone witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the Taliban takeover in August as thousands of Afghans chose to flee the country. But our attention now must turn to the vastly greater number of Afghans who remain in the country but face in the short term a most dire future. We are on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe; however, we are on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe that is preventable. The financial sanctions applied to Afghanistan have paralysed the banking system, affecting every aspect of the economy. Gross domestic product has contracted by an estimated 40 per cent. Cash is severely limited. Traders cannot obtain letters of credit. People who have worked and saved for years cannot access their savings.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“Those efforts are partly constrained by the lack of resources and capacity, as well as a political ideology that in many ways clashes with contemporary international norms of governance so present in this Chamber. The Taliban have not yet established full trust with much of the Afghan population or convinced them of their capacity to govern. The movement is also struggling to manage some serious internal divisions. Ultimately, however, the Taliban must decide on whether to govern according to the needs and the rights of the diverse Afghan population, or whether to rule on the basis of a narrow ideology and an even narrower ethnic base. Since the Taliban took power, members of the international community, understandably, have focused on helping those Afghans who want to leave.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source
“Once limited to a few provinces and Kabul, ISIL- KP now seems to be present in nearly all provinces and is increasingly active. The number of attacks has increased significantly from last year to this year. While there were 60 such attacks in 2020, so far this year there have been 334 attacks attributed to ISIL-KP or, in fact, claimed by ISIL-KP. The group continues to target Shia communities. The Taliban insist that they are waging a concerted campaign against ISIL-KP, but that campaign is worrisome in that it appears to rely heavily on extrajudicial detentions and killings of suspected ISIL-KP members. That is an area deserving of more attention from the international community. However, our general impression is that the Taliban are making genuine efforts to present themselves as a Government.”
2021-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8908 (2021) · source