The UNAMA Mission in Afghanistan Was Extended for Another Year

The United Nations Security Council, by issuing a resolution, extended the mission of UNAMA in Afghanistan for another year, until March 2025, without changing the bill of duties and priorities.
This council has renewed its all-out support for Roza Otunbayeva, the special representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan affairs, and the continuation of UNAMA’s mission in the country, and has called the continuation of UNAMA’s presence vital.
Japan, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, has called UNAMA’s presence in Afghanistan necessary after the Security Council Resolution 2727 was issued.
Meanwhile, China’s representative in the United Nations expressed regret that the said resolution did not reflect the latest developments in Afghanistan and added that Afghanistan had a stable situation two years after the withdrawal of foreign forces.
On the other hand, Amnesty International has requested that UNAMA’s human rights reports continue, in order to finally put pressure on the caretaker government of Afghanistan and lead to the cancellation of the decrees restricting women and girls.
In the draft of the above-mentioned resolution that was presented by Japan to the Security Council, the representatives of China and Russia demanded that the considerations of these two countries be included. The Security Council’s newsletter mentions that the argument of China and Russia was that the humanitarian crisis and aid should also be included in the preamble of the resolution. The inclusion of the blocked assets of the central bank is another issue that has been raised by these two countries. Nevertheless, China has proposed that UNAMA’s quarterly human rights reports be limited to two reports a year on humanitarian and economic challenges, but despite the support of Russia, it was left out of the draft due to the strong opposition of the majority of the representatives of other countries. According to the Security Council newsletter, the argument of China and Russia was that human rights were emphasized too much and humanitarian aid was not given enough attention. The removal of women’s work in internal organizations and the United Nations from the resolution is another issue that China and Russia have emphasized.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the caretaker government, welcomed the extension of the UNAMA mission and said that this would be good for the people of Afghanistan, because this country needs communication with countries and organizations, and UNAMA can strengthen these relations.
For more than two decades, the United Nations Security Council has extended UNAMA’s mission in Afghanistan every year.