10 November 2022

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Afghanistan is in crisis. It is in many crises.

It has been 15 months since the Taliban consolidated control over the country.

Its economy is in ruins. The humanitarian situation is disastrous.

 Two-thirds of the population is hungry.  

 Girls and women are banned from learning, having a job or getting proper medical care.  

The country is awash with heroin and opium.

Organized crime and terrorist organizations are thriving once again.

Afghanistan is facing complex and interlinked challenges that the Taliban have shown they cannot – or would not – solve.

It is time to support the Afghan people with concrete solutions that place their needs front and center.

It is true that some problems will require some time to resolve.

But there are actions the Assembly can take to change the paradigm now.

I would like you to consider one solution through solidarity.

The UN humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan – which requires $4.4 billion US dollars – is only half funded.

With winter weather just weeks away, I encourage Member States to provide urgent support to help reduce the $2.3 billion dollar shortfall.

Let’s remind ourselves of the old saying from Afghanistan: “A real friend is one who takes the hand of his friend in times of distress and helplessness.”

Excellencies,

Afghanistan has a rich history of scientific achievement.

I encourage the country’s reengagement with the international science community.

And to allow women who used to be respected members of the country’s science community to resume their research and their studies. 

 Afghanistan is now the only state in the world that would deny girls their full right to education.

The prospect of girls’ education has been left to uncertainty amid seemingly random edicts from the Taliban.

This time last year, Fawzia Koofi, the first woman Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, recalled her dream of one day addressing the UN as the President of Afghanistan.

She said: “With me, millions of girls and women in Afghanistan had this dream that now they think will never come true.”

Dreams of becoming President have been replaced by the reality of child marriage. Arrests if women and girls leave their home without a male chaperone.

I reiterate my call for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of all Afghans, especially women and girls.

Similarly, I urge the Taliban to ensure the safety of all Afghans, regardless of gender, ethnic background, religious belief or political affiliation.

To protect journalists and civil society members.

To allow unhindered humanitarian aid, and to cooperate with humanitarian workers.

We expect the Taliban to make good on the commitments they made to the international community. To show honesty through concrete action.

Excellencies,

The dramatic changes of 2021 have taken a massive toll on Afghanistan’s economy and profoundly widened many security risks.

 Narcotics now make up the country’s largest economic sector.

Earlier this month, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported that opium cultivation in 2022 increased by 32 per cent. Prices have soared.

 We know where these drugs are sent. And we know who profits from these drugs.

 The threat from drug trafficking is linked with the threat of terrorism, regional and global security.

 The Haqqani network and Al-Qaeda are just some of the terrorist organizations active in Afghanistan.  

 It is crucial that Taliban leaders engage in a serious counter-terrorism dialogue to stop and reverse the flow of foreign extremists into the country – and prevent their own from becoming foreign terrorist fighters in other countries.

 Afghanistan must never again become a breeding ground and safe haven for terrorists.

 Friends,

There is a moral and also a practical imperative for the international community to support an inclusive and sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

I call on the Taliban, other Afghans and members of the international community to cooperate with the Special Representative as she implements the Mission’s mandate.

I welcome the appointment of Roza Otunbayeva as the new Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

I commend dialogue and mediation initiatives, like the Tashkent format.

After almost five decades of relentless conflict, we need continued and concerted efforts for the peaceful rebuilding of Afghanistan.

Thank you.