Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 11th Nov. President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi on Thursday warned the international community that two-thirds of Afghans are going hungry, with girls’ education subject to “random edicts” of the Taliban, while crime and terrorism are thriving again by a large spike in the opium production.
Mt. Csaba Kőrösi pointed out a apocalyptic picture of ordinary life in the Taliban-ruled nation that has endured almost five decades of “relentless conflict”, urging the international community to make up the $2.3 billion shortfall in the UN humanitarian appeal for $4.4 billion.
He addressed the world body stated that there was “a moral and also a practical imperative for the international community to support an inclusive and sustainable peace in Afghanistan.”
Mr. Korosi said that the resolution expressed deep concern over Afghanistan’s current trajectory and the volatility there since the Taliban takeover.
It urged Afghanistan to honor and fully respect and implement all treaties, covenants or conventions, bilateral or multilateral, which is has signed up to.
He stressed that beyond the disastrous humanitarian and human rights situation, the country was now “awash with heroin and opium.”
Korosi reiterated that “Organized crime and terrorist organizations are thriving once again. Afghanistan is facing complex and interlinked challenges that the Taliban have shown they cannot – or would not – solve.”
He said that now is the time to come up with some concrete solutions that put the Afghan people first, suggested one concrete way the General Assembly could help right away:
“I encourage the country’s reengagement with the international science community. And to allow women who used to be respected members of the country’s science community, to resume their research and their studies.
He added that Afghanistan is now the only State in the world, denying girls the right to a full education.
PG noted that their prospects are totally uncertain, “amid seemingly random edicts from the Taliban.”
He said for the most powerful women in the country, “dreams of becoming President have been replaced by the reality of child marriage. Arrests if women and girls leave their home without a male chaperone.
“I reiterate my call for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of all Afghans, especially women and girls.”
Mr. Kőrösi urged the Taliban to ensure the safety of all Afghans – regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or politics – protection for journalists and civil society members, and the unhindered delivery of aid.
He pointed out the shocking fact that narcotics constitute the biggest sector in the country, with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, revealed a 32 per cent growth in illegal opium cultivation after the economic meltdown,.
“We know where these drugs are sent. And we know who profits from these drugs. The threat from drug trafficking is linked with the threat of terrorism, regional and global security.”
He said Taliban leaders needed to engage in serious dialogue about counter-terrorism to reverse the flow of foreign extremists into the country – and prevent their own from becoming foreign terrorist fighters elsewhere.
“Afghanistan must never again become a breeding ground and safe haven for terrorists. I call on the Taliban, other Afghans and members of the international community to cooperate with the Special Representative for UN Assistance Mission as she implements the Mission’s mandate.
The resolution was debated and was adopted by the General Assembly with 116 votes in favor and 10 abstained – Belarus, Burundi, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia and Zimbabwe.
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