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OCHA chief says IEA has not fulfilled its commitments over human rights
The United Nations top humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, who is stepping down from his post at the end of June, said on Tuesday at a briefing that he was leaving the job “with a sense of work unfulfilled because the world is a worse place now than when I joined up in 2021.”
Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and head of OCHA (the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) said Tuesday the Islamic Emirate has not fulfilled its obligations over human rights.
Speaking at a briefing Griffiths said the Islamic Emirate, after regaining control of Afghanistan, made commitments to the international community regarding the provision of human rights, especially women’s rights.
“I had spent a lifetime working in Afghanistan in one way or another. And we had some hopes then, we had indeed some written commitments then as to how we would be able to go forward with the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) – and those hopes have been dashed,” he said.
“The edicts against women and girls have come one after the other, and the degree to which and the issues upon which the international community engages with the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) on behalf of the people of Afghanistan is still a conversation,” he added.
He went on to say however that this issue was superseded by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Then, just months later, focus shifted to Gaza and Sudan. He noted that the UN’s attention is now on “big crises” – Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, but that Syria, Yemen, and Haiti “are places still of great suffering”.
Griffiths was appointed Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in May 2021.He will step down at the end of June for health reasons.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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