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UN extends Afghanistan mission for another year

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The United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to extend its mission to Afghanistan for one more year.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) will now continue until spring 2023 and will focus on providing humanitarian assistance, facilitating dialogue within Afghanistan and between other countries, and promoting the rule of law.

The UNAMA is also tasked with protecting human rights and gender equality under the newly established Islamic Emirate (IE) government.

Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who represented the U.S. at the meeting, said the mandate showed the world’s “enduring commitment” to Afghanistan. The U.S. withdrew forces from the county last year, opening the way for the Taliban’s (IEA) swift takeover, the hill news reported.

“Critically, this mandate ensures UNAMA can continue its vital work in support of women’s and girls’ empowerment, their ability to enjoy fully human rights and fundamental freedoms, and their full, equal, and meaningful participation in all levels and stages of decisionmaking,” he said.

“In doing so, the Security Council has instructed UNAMA not just to advocate for Afghanistan’s women but to engage with them as vital partners in its work.”

According to hill news the representative from Norway, which currently holds the Security Council presidency, added that the mandate strengthens work around the promotion of women’s rights and their participation in public life, but added she was regretful the council did not agree on climate change provisions.

The United Kingdom’s representative warned that future U.N. decisions would depend on how the IEA governs the country amid ongoing concerns over reprisal killings and human rights abuses, adding that the group (IEA) needs to “demonstrate that extremist groups are no longer able to flourish in the country.”

The members of the Security Council voted 14-0 to extend UNAMA, with Russia abstaining, read the report.

The Russian representative said it abstained because the Afghan government failed to respond to requests for consent for the presence of the U.N. in the country.

The representative warned the Security Council against turning UNAMA into “United Nations mission impossible” by creating conflict with local authorities.

“The key is maintaining stability, from which everyone would win,” the representative from Russia said.

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Female foreign ministers from 17 countries call on IEA to repeal laws affecting women

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Female foreign ministers from 17 countries have called on the Islamic Emirate to repeal the laws restricting women and girls in Afghanistan.

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, on the situation of women and girls in the country, the group of foreign ministers denounced the Islamic Emirate’s “morality laws”.

“We denounce and call for the repeal of the Taliban’s (IEA) so called ‘Morality Laws’, which have exacerbated existing restrictions for Afghan women and girls,” the statement read.

“These decrees aim literally to silence Afghan women and girls and confine them to their homes. There is no viable future—no long-term peace, prosperity, or legitimacy—for any state that seeks to effectively erase women from public life.”

In reaction, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice said that Western countries have a double standard on the issue of human rights and are using it as a tool to pressure the Islamic Emirate.

“If such ministry does not exist in an Islamic system or Islamic society, we cannot call it an Islamic system or Islamic society,” Saif-ul-Islam Khaibar, the ministry’s spokesman, said.

“Those who demand the abolition of this ministry are actually acting against Islamic values, religion, nation, and identity of Afghans, which is unacceptable to all. Instead of making allegations against this ministry, they should adhere to human rights in their own laws.”

In their joint statement, the female foreign ministers also said that the Islamic Emirate’s “systematic exclusion of girls from school—including by barring education for girls above sixth grade—deprives millions of women and girls of their right to education.”

“We encourage all countries to advocate for the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of Afghan women in discussions on Afghanistan’s future, including in the U.N.-facilitated Doha process,” the statement said.

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IEA officials on way to Japan

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A delegation of senior Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials was expected to arrive in Tokyo on Sunday in what is the IEA’s first visit to Japan since they regained power in August 2021.

According to Japanese media, the delegation consists of around six government officials in charge of diplomacy, healthcare, education, cultural properties and other policies.

This visit was in response to an invitation offered by an executive of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Tadamichi Yamamoto, former head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), last year.

Reports state that the delegation will likely request more humanitarian support and may also discuss ties between Japan and Afghanistan with Japanese government officials.

Japan continues to maintain diplomatic functions in Afghanistan and has provided support for medical facilities through the United Nations.

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Ministry of Refugees condemns forced evacuation of Afghans in Balochistan, Pakistan

The statement added that among the people deported by the Pakistani police, 65 were children and 30 were Afghan women.

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The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation on Sunday condemned the forced evacuation of Afghan refugees from their homes in Balochistan province, Pakistan.

The Ministry of Refugees’ statement said that on February 15, Pakistani police raided the homes of a number of Afghan refugees in the Quetta and Kuchlak areas of Balochistan province.

The raids took place at night and officials forcibly evicted and mistreated a number of Afghan refugees.

The statement added that among the people deported by the Pakistani police, 65 were children and 30 were Afghan women.

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