Madam President,
I would like to congratulate UAE on assuming the Council’s Presidency. I am sure it will be hugely successful.
2. I would also like to thank Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), Amb. Deborah Lyons, for her briefing as well as the important work the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is doing under her leadership.
3. We also thank Ms. Mariam Safi for her intervention. Madam President,
4. After four decades, there is a chance to promote durable peace in Afghanistan. One government controls the entire country. There is no existential threat to its survival.
5. The main objective of the international community must be to stabilize Afghanistan and ensure durable peace within the country and in the region.
6. To this end, we must address the massive humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and prevent a collapse of the Afghan economy. Pakistan commends the role of the UN and its agencies in mobilizing and distributing such assistance. We welcome the generous response to Secretary General’s initial appeal and trust that there will be an equally generous response to his new appeal.
7. We hope that the new crises which are witnessing will not lead to abandoning Afghanistan. This mistake was made twice in the last 40 years, with devastating consequences. Madam President,
8. Reviving the Afghan economy is critical. We welcome the UN-led efforts to inject cash into the Afghan banking system. It is vital in this context to release all of Afghanistan’s financial reserves. It is most regrettable that half of their reserves are proposed to be sequestered by another country.
9. Beyond humanitarian help, stabilizing Afghanistan requires reconstruction – to rebuild damaged infrastructure and implement the connectivity projects, such as the TAPI, CASA and the Central Asia-Afghanistan-Pakistan railroads, as well as the envisaged extension of CPEC to Afghanistan.
10. UNAMA is playing a constructive role in promoting these objectives and has established constructive engagement and trust with the new authorities in Kabul. We hope that it will continue to play this role.
11. In this context, the approach and elements for UNAMA’s new mandate as suggested in the Secretary-General’s Report (Document No. S/2022/64) raise several questions.
12. In our view, UNAMA’s mandate – as in the past – must be based on respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and should be conducted with the consent of the Afghan government – recognized or not – and designed to support its efforts to promote stability and improve the lives of its people, including women and children. Any effort to create a parallel governance structure to the actual government is likely to be unacceptable and will erode the trust and cooperation which exists presently between UNAMA and the authorities in Kabul.
13. UNAMA’s new mandate must focus on humanitarian and emergency assistance; revival of the Afghan economy; building the capacity of Afghan institutions; and facilitating the reconstruction and connectivity projects.
14. Political objectives – such as promoting “inclusive” governance is the sole purview of Afghanistan and the Afghan authorities. The six neighbours’ platform has also helped to move the process in this direction and this platform will convene in China in the near future.
15. Similarly, UNAMA’s role in “monitoring” human rights will be inconsistent with its role as a partner for progress in Afghanistan.
Madam President,
16. Security remains a preeminent concern for Afghans and for their neighbors. There are still some who wish to continue using Afghan territory to promote terrorism, including against regional countries, especially against Pakistan. The international community must encourage and support the efforts of the Afghan authorities to eliminate Daesh (IS-K). Effective strategies are also needed to address other terrorist groups in Afghanistan in particular the TTP, ETIM, IMU and Al-Qaida.
17. An important element of success will be an early lifting of the 1988 Sanctions against Taliban members, as envisaged in the Doha Agreement and in UNSC Resolution 2543.
18. Pakistan will continue to work with the Afghan authorities and with regional and other interested countries to promote the common objectives of peace, stability, and prosperity in Afghanistan and in the region.
I thank you
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