The spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, in a press briefing on Wednesday said that the UN will not advise members states on the recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
He added that only UN member states could make the decision on whether to recognise the group.
Stephane Dujarric’s remarks follows a backlash from that followed Amina Mohammed’s speech in which she stated the possibility of recognising the group.
Earlier on Monday, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, announced that a meeting will be held in region countries in May, where steps that lead to the recognition of the Taliban will be discussed with the UN Secretary-General and Special Envoys from different countries.
Amina Mohammed’s statement led to widespread reactions, both inside and outside of Afghanistan, prompting the UN spokesperson to clarify the UN’s stance.
Stephane Dujarric further said that the goal of the upcoming meeting is to find a unified approach to deal with the situation in Afghanistan and prevent further instability.
“There will indeed be a meeting in Doha on 1 and 2 May, which the Secretary-General will host with Special Envoys on Afghanistan from various countries. The purpose of this kind of small group meeting is for us to reinvigorate the international engagement around the common objectives for a durable way forward on the situation in Afghanistan.” UN Spokesman said.
It has been over a year and a half since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, but no country has yet recognized the group’s government.
