By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN Security Council on Wednesday held a meeting on the situation in Afghanistan presided over by the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Georgette Gagnon and a woman civil society representative.
Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative and Officer-in-Charge of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan told the Council members that five years after the de facto authorities returned to power, Afghanistan stands at a crossroads.
She pointed out “Key risks to Afghanistan’s stability are accumulating, and they mainly stem from the de facto authorities’ own policies”.
The message is clear: “Peace is not only the absence of armed conflict. Sustainable peace requires dignity, inclusion, opportunity, and hope.”
She noted “macroeconomic stability does not equate to recovery,” she said, adding that there is “no credible path to a prosperous and self-reliant Afghanistan that excludes women and girls”.
Georgette Gagnon emphasized that dialogue matters, “Engagement is not acceptance. It is how the international community preserves influence, reduces risks and creates opportunities for progress,”.
Nargis Nehan, Founder and Executive Director of FARAGEER, said that the world knows what is happening in Afghanistan.
“Being a woman is a crime, and being born as a woman in Afghanistan is an even greater crime,” she said, citing what she heard from an Afghan woman.
She urged the Council to take three key actions on Afghanistan:
Support accountability and justice by adopting a resolution that recognizes the institutionalized discrimination against women and girls, accelerates legal action against the Taliban, and promotes recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity.
Advance an inclusive political process by ensuring that the UN-led Doha process includes not only the Taliban but also other Afghan political and civil society groups, with the goal of achieving inclusive governance.
Increase humanitarian assistance by fully funding the $1.7 billion response plan and prioritizing support for the most vulnerable populations.
Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021, the continuing presence of terrorist groups as well as rights violations against women and girls are a growing concern a civil society representative who said being born as a woman in the country “is a crime”
Chinese envoy to the UN said “All parties should cherish the outcomes of engagement and dialogue with the Afghan Government, show good faith and stay patient,” said the representative of China.
He also called on a “relevant country” to “bear its historical responsibilities” by resuming aid to Afghanistan, lifting unilateral sanctions, returning the overseas assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan and providing necessary resources for Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development.
Representative said that the restrictive policies faced by Afghan women and girls not only affect their physical and mental health, “but also undermine social stability and development prospects, hindering Afghanistan from gaining greater international support”.
He called on the Government to guarantee the fundamental rights and interests of all Afghans, including women.
Russian Federation Ambassador Nebenzia said “there is no alternative” to genuine, pragmatic engagement with Afghanistan; “nor will there be”.
He recalled the “irresponsible withdrawal of foreign forces” five years ago, he said the “countries whose military contingents hastily left the country” have repeatedly warned that Afghanistan could collapse or become “a black hole”.
However, these “gloomy forecasts, thankfully, did not come to pass”, which he said was due to the Taliban’s focus on development, regional cooperation and building a self-reliant State.
He called for trust-based dialogue with the authorities, “fully free from the language of pressure and blackmail”, adding: “Selective and biased approaches — as well as the fixation on human rights, something that’s only of interest to a group of Western donors — all of these are a dead end.”
Pakistan Ambassador to the UN said Taliban restrictions on women and girls contradict Islamic principles.
He said that Pakistan has supported Afghanistan’s stabilization through engagement, humanitarian assistance and regional cooperation, hopes have given way to concern as Afghanistan has again become a haven for terrorists.
Ambassador cited the “deep nexus” between the Taliban and groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and ISIL-K.
He said terrorism from Afghanistan has killed 4,700 Pakistanis over the past three years and that the Taliban failed to act against those groups.
He also warned about weapons left in Afghanistan and illegal arms trafficking, stressing: “We will defend ourselves.”
US Ambassador to the UN said Washington will not tolerate the Taliban using American citizens as “bargaining chips”.
He condemned the group’s record, he said, “I’ve seen them hang children, terrorize families, pillage whole villages and prey on the very people they claim to represent.”
He also lamented that Afghanistan remains the only country where girls and women are barred from higher education, saying that after 20 years of progress, “that door is now closed on them”.
He stressed the need for accountability, he added: “This Council must demand results from the Taliban regime.”
Afghanistan envoy to the UN said that 5 years is “long enough to judge the situation by actions”.
He said that there is still no inclusive political system, no accepted constitutional framework and no accountable institutions through which Afghans can influence decisions affecting their lives.
“The absence of large-scale war should not be mistaken for sustainable peace,” he said.
The repression of women and girls is “not only a women’s rights crisis” but also a national crisis affecting Afghanistan’s economy, health, education and development and long-term stability.
Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where women and girls are formally denied education beyond the primary level, he added.
He said that the international community must abandon the false choice between isolation and normalization.
Ambassador called for principled and outcome-oriented engagement aimed towards legitimate and accountable governance.
UNAMA should work to create conditions for a political solution, he stressed.
According to the UN Human Rights Office since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the plight of Afghans has only deteriorated, with millions impoverished while authorities violate basic human rights daily
Women are facing the brunt of the Taliban rule, and since 2021, over two million Afghan girls and women have been denied access to secondary and higher education, OHCHR stated
Both women and men are being arrested by the Taliban’s Office for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, primarily for alleged violations of strict dress codes, beard length, and the playing of, or listening to, music
It noted that censorship of the media, temporary closures of media outlets and arrests of journalists also continue.
According to the UN, At least 449 men and women were subjected to corporal punishment by the de facto authorities in the first half of the year.
UN chief Mr. Antonio Guterres submitted his latest report to Security Council regarding the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security.
The report said that armed opposition groups conducted limited attacks that did not significantly challenge the control of the de facto authorities
Cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan continued, with reports of civilian casualties, displacement and damage to critical infrastructure.
Taliban policies continued to raise serious human rights concerns, including denial of rights affecting women and girls, arrests of journalists and reported violations of the general amnesty protecting members of the previous government
The Taliban maintained their ban on national female staff and other Afghan women entering United Nations premises
Food insecurity, malnutrition and public health concerns persisted, with humanitarian needs remaining acute amid severe funding shortages
The 2026 Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs Response Plan remained significantly underfunded, at 29.9 per cent ($513 million of $1.7 billion required
UN established the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan, an inter-agency mechanism to support joint programming in the provision of basic human needs in Afghanistan.
In Kandahar, UN agencies are helping farmers build sustainable livelihoods through agricultural inputs and technical assistance, creating new opportunities for families previously dependent on opium poppy cultivation
WHO is supporting the expansion of efforts to expand women’s access to specialized treatment for obstetric fistula, including surgery, counseling and follow-up care.
UNICEF has supported the delivery of essential health services for over 6 million people, including women and children
