RASC: The British ambassador to the United Nations says that the international community will not recognize the Taliban group if it continues on its current path.
Barbara Woodward said at the meeting of the United Nations Security Council that with the continuation of this situation, sanctions against the Taliban group will remain in place and development aid will be stopped.
Mrs. Woodward emphasized on Wednesday (June 21) at the UN Security Council meeting about Afghanistan that since the Taliban took over in August 2021, humanitarian suffering, economic problems and continuous violation of human rights have defined the situation of the Afghanistani people.
In her statement, Mrs. Woodward pointed to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and said that two-thirds of the Afghanistani population will need humanitarian aid in 2023, and that economic production has decreased by more than 20 percent since 2021.
According to Ms. Woodward, more than two million girls in grades seven through eleven are formally unable to access secondary education.
According to a new report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, the Taliban has issued more than 50 decrees against women that have restricted the rights of women and girls and hampered the United Nations’ ability to provide humanitarian aid in times of need.
The British Ambassador to the United Nations called the current conditions in Afghanistan negative and said that with the restrictions imposed by the Taliban, the options to help deal with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan are limited.
While emphasizing Britain’s commitment to support Afghanistanis, she said that the country also supports the efforts of the United Nations to provide aid to the people of Afghanistan and that no aid should be provided without the presence of women.
According to Mrs. Woodward, Britain has allocated more than half a billion dollars to Afghanistan since April 2021 to deal with the humanitarian crisis. She also emphasized that the UK asked other member countries of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid to increase their funding to support the people of Afghanistan.
At the Security Council meeting, Barbara Woodward stressed the coordination and unity of the international community to send a single message to the Taliban and said: “We have expressed our expectations in the successive resolutions of the Council regarding humanitarian access, cutting ties with terrorists, respecting human rights and governance. We have expressed comprehensively.”
She added that in the end, the Taliban must match these clear expectations with clear actions, and the international community will not accept the Taliban if they continue on their current path.
Mrs. Woodward called the meeting of the countries’ special envoys with the UN Secretary-General in Doha a good first step for Afghanistan and said that the UK is waiting for an independent review of Fereydon Sinirlioglu as the UN Special Coordinator for Afghanistan Affairs.
Mrs. Woodward emphasized that Afghanistan cannot rely on itself with half of 50% of the country’s population removed. She added: “History has shown that while many sections of society and ethnic groups are left out, there will be no stable and lasting peace.”
