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UN Envoy: Presidential Election, Peace Process Are Top Priorities in Afghanistan
The Head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto on Sunday said that the upcoming presidential elections of Afghanistan and the Afghan peace process are top priorities for the United Nations.
“Considering the various media reports speculating about the position of the United Nations on these two fundamental issues, let me be clear: Neither process should be harmed or held back by the other; both processes must move forward with the full force and commitment of all stakeholders,” Yamamoto said in a statement.
He added that there are clear links between these critical processes and both are important for the future of Afghanistan.
“As I told the United Nations Security Council less than two weeks ago, the presidential elections scheduled for 28 September will be a key moment to reaffirm the legitimacy of Afghanistan’s democratic political structure,” he added.
The top UN envoy urges all electoral stakeholders to ensure the credibility and transparency of the process.
“Afghanistan cannot afford a contentious and protracted post-election crisis that could result in a president with brittle democratic and domestic legitimacy, as this would harm the new president’s ability to bring the Afghan people together in a meaningful and representative peace process,” he further stated.
Meanwhile, Yamamoto says he is cautiously optimistic about the Afghan peace process and Afghanistan should have the full ownership of the process.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we are moving in the right direction,” he concluded.
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Karzai blames Pakistan’s policies for its security challenges, urges EU to consider regional realities
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that Pakistan’s current security situation and ongoing challenges are the result of Islamabad’s long-standing policy of supporting “extremism” and using it as an instrument of foreign policy against Afghanistan over the past four decades.
In a statement posted on his X account on Tuesday, Karzai said Afghanistan is among the few countries in the region that has maintained friendly relations with European states for more than a century and has consistently engaged in constructive cooperation with European institutions.
He expressed hope that Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission, would take into account what he described as the “objective realities” of the region, including the claim that Afghanistan and its people have been
victims of terrorism originating from Pakistan, when assessing the root causes of regional instability that have led to civilian casualties and damage to public infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Karzai added that Afghans appreciate continued European cooperation and seek to further strengthen and expand relations with Europe.
The remarks came after Kaja Kallas, during a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Monday, said that recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have had serious humanitarian consequences and pose risks to regional security.
Minister of Economy Din Mohammad Hanif and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Acting Country Director Robert Anzikowa have discussed ongoing humanitarian assistance and support for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees in Afghanistan.
According to the Ministry of Economy, the meeting focused on the challenges facing displaced communities, the status of current aid programs, emergency assistance for vulnerable people, and humanitarian needs across the country.
Anzikowa reaffirmed the NRC’s commitment to continuing its humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, including legal assistance, education, livelihood support, food security programs, emergency aid for IDPs and returnees, job creation initiatives for youth, and shelter assistance for returning refugees.
Despite budget cuts this year, he said the organization plans to continue implementing programs for returnees and vulnerable communities in various provinces and will seek to mobilize greater support from international donors for humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Hanif welcomed the NRC’s continued assistance and called for increased international engagement in development projects, job creation, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of Afghanistan’s frozen foreign assets.
He said expanding employment opportunities, vocational training, and support for vulnerable groups would help strengthen household economies and reduce reliance on humanitarian aid.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday warned that a growing funding shortfall is putting life-saving humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan at risk.
In a post on X, OCHA Afghanistan said that by the end of May, humanitarian agencies had received only about 16 percent of the funding required for the country’s 2026 humanitarian response plan.
According to the agency, donors have so far provided approximately $269 million of the $1.71 billion needed to support humanitarian operations across Afghanistan this year.
OCHA warned that without urgent additional funding, millions of vulnerable Afghans could be left without assistance.
Afghanistan remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with millions of people relying on aid amid ongoing economic challenges, climate-related shocks and widespread poverty.
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