Special Envoys and Representatives for Afghanistan from nine countries and the European Union met in Paris late last month to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and noted, among other issues, the deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situations. 

In a joint statement issued on Monday, participating countries, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, listed numerous concerns.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the UNAMA, the Head of the OCHA Office in Afghanistan and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan also participated in the meeting as observers.

In their statement, the special envoys noted “with grave concern the increased threat to security and stability in Afghanistan and the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation, with more than 28 million Afghans now in need of humanitarian aid.” More than half are women and children. The statement noted that six million are just one step from famine.

The envoys also emphasized their concern about increasing deterioration and multiple violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Afghans, especially those of women and girls as well as members of ethnic and religious minorities and other marginalized groups,

According to the statement, the envoys “strongly condemned the Taliban’s (IEA) decisions in December 2022 to ban Afghan women from university education and from working in NGOs.”

The envoys stated that the restrictions “violate and threaten not only Afghan women’s rights and freedoms, but also the overall much-needed social and economic development of the country.”

They also stated that “humanitarian assistance cannot be delivered fairly or effectively if limited by discriminatory policies or practices.”

The envoys “called for the immediate reversal of these unacceptable bans as they are preventing humanitarian assistance from reaching Afghans most in need.”

According to the statement, the envoys also “expressed grave concern about the increasing threat of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including ISKP (Daesh), Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and others, which deeply affects security and stability inside the country, in the region and beyond.”

They called on the Islamic Emirate to uphold Afghanistan’s obligation to deny these groups safe haven.

In addition, the envoys underscored that achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan “requires a credible and inclusive national dialogue leading to a constitutional order with a representative and inclusive political system.”

They emphasized that the UN Security Council has set out the international community’s clear expectations of the IEA which are critical for peace and stability in the country and for normalization of relations with the international community.

The statement noted that the envoys highlighted the necessity to continue helping Afghans who are suffering in this humanitarian crisis and emphasized the need for continued engagement with neighboring countries and other countries of the region to further deepen coordination on a joint response to the developing situation in Afghanistan, including countering potential threats to regional security and stability.