Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says Afghanistan’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit is in the interest of the region, stressing that key regional issues are discussed at the gathering.

Speaking to Ariana News, Mujahid said Afghanistan is an important part of the region in terms of economic, security, political and social issues, and that this reality should be recognized by SCO member states.

He said the SCO summit should not be influenced by certain political considerations or become a one-sided gathering.

Mujahid said some countries at times seek to prevent Afghanistan from participating in the summit. However, he warned that decisions made at the regional level would be incomplete if Afghanistan is excluded.

“Afghanistan must be present at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit,” Mujahid said, emphasizing that the country’s participation is important for addressing regional issues and ensuring that responsibilities toward the region are clearly defined.

Afghanistan has slipped down the international agenda despite the “extreme needs” of its people, a senior International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official said, urging the international community not to abandon Afghan communities.

ICRC Director of Operations Yasmine Praz Dessimoz told AFP in an interview in Kabul that Afghans were “struggling to survive with significant humanitarian needs” as the country’s health system continues to face severe pressure.

The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF warned last week that one million Afghan children are facing life-threatening malnutrition, while 3.7 million are suffering from acute malnutrition.

The UN has also said that a decline in international aid has forced the closure of about 100 clinics providing treatment for malnourished children across Afghanistan.

Afghanistan remains among the ICRC’s five largest operations worldwide, but funding cuts have forced the organisation to make difficult decisions about its activities, Praz Dessimoz said.

“Afghan people need national and international support,” she added.

The ICRC supports 46 clinics and seven rehabilitation centres across Afghanistan, providing healthcare and rehabilitation services, including for people wounded in conflict or injured by unexploded ordnance.

The organisation has also made communities along the Durand Line a priority, focusing on people affected by conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The ICRC says its ability to engage with parties on both sides allows it to provide support to communities along the frontier.

Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan intensified last October and continued into the spring, displacing thousands of people in Afghanistan and leaving hundreds of civilians dead or wounded.

Praz Dessimoz also raised concerns about restrictions imposed on women by Islamic Emirate authorities, including restrictions on education beyond primary school and access to certain professions.

“We could keep our female staff in our health support,” she said, but warned about the longer-term consequences if girls and women are prevented from receiving education.

“The major concern is what is next? Because if the new generation is not educated, then there won’t be any replacement,” she said.

She stressed the importance of women health workers in providing healthcare to women, saying they are needed “in order then to deliver (care) and to be close to a woman”.

During her week-long visit to Afghanistan, Praz Dessimoz met Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

“What is important is to be able to engage, to be able to have a dialogue with them,” she told AFP.

The Islamic Emirate government returned to power in August 2021 and remains internationally isolated, with Russia the only country to have formally recognised it as Afghanistan’s government.

The European Union has announced an additional €15 million in funding for its ongoing partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to strengthen food security and climate resilience in Afghanistan.

The funding will support efforts to address food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty and the impacts of climate change by combining school feeding, climate-resilient livelihoods, sustainable natural resource management and private-sector development in agribusiness.

Eric Beaume, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation, said the contribution reflects the EU’s continued commitment to Afghan communities, particularly women, children and vulnerable rural families.

He said the investment in agribusiness, food value chains and school feeding will help improve nutrition, protect livelihoods and strengthen the economic resilience of vulnerable communities.

The additional funding will extend the programme for 12 months, with a greater focus on agribusiness, food safety and quality, while school feeding and climate-resilience activities will continue.

John Aylieff, WFP Representative and Country Director in Afghanistan, welcomed the EU’s support, saying it would help strengthen livelihoods, improve local food systems and create more opportunities for women and young people.

The EU said the new funding builds on its long-standing support for resilience and school feeding programmes in Afghanistan and aims to strengthen the local private sector through local procurement and stronger links with humanitarian programmes.