The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has set the preconditions for the Taliban to join the global community.
Commenting to the recently released UN Security Council quarterly report on Afghanistan, António Guterres said that “The desire of the Taliban to be a part of the global community will require the Taliban to take tangible steps to protect and promote human rights.”
The UN Secretary-General has underlined the Taliban’s grave violation of human rights committed against former government officials and security forces, individuals accused of affiliation with armed resistance groups, civil society activists, and civilians that include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, and other ill-treatment.
The report asserts that the Taliban leadership has further exacerbated the situation through their increased restrictions, abuses, and violations of human rights, particularly those of women and girls, saying it is among the reasons contributing to funding shortfalls.
“The Taliban are largely excluding women from public life and service. Afghan society can only be the poorer for it, and these actions by the Taliban will invariably hold the nation back from reaching its full potential.” The report says.
Security
The UN Secretary-General’s report states that there has been a slight decrease in the overall number of conflict-related security incidents in the first months of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022. While armed clashes and improvised explosive devices decreased, the report adds that suicide attacks increased from zero to three incidents and criminality remains high, with robbery, theft, and murder the most recorded incident types.
The UN has recorded 1,650 security-related incidents during this time, 133 armed clashes including 14 border incidents, 59 assassination attempts, and 62 incidents directly affecting its personnel, including 26 cases of intimidation, and eight crime-related incidents.
The UN report states that “serious” concerns remain over the presence of transnational terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including Islamic State—Khorasan Province, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and other foreign terrorist groups present on the territory of Afghanistan.
“Despite a relative security and absent meaningful and inclusive sustainable development, there remains a risk that the allure of some of these extremist groups could grow.” The report said.
Humanitarian Efforts
Afghanistan is grappling with unprecedented levels of humanitarian, climate, and economic crises across all provinces.
In the first quarter of this year, UN humanitarian assistance reached over 15.8 million people with food and livelihood support, health care assistance, support for acute malnutrition, emergency shelter, and household assistance. However, the Secretary-General stressed that more should be done as the humanitarian crisis worsens and fundings fall.
The UN report asserts that the Taliban’s ban on women’s employment has significantly affected humanitarian delivery to vulnerable people, increased women’s unemployment rate, and set pushbacks for funding. Since the ban, many female staff have not returned to their jobs and some 77% of women-led organizations had either fully or partially ceased their activities.
The report says that the UN Mine Action Service has cleared over 9.2 km2 of contaminated land, safely removing 8,000 explosive devices, including improvised explosive devices. It further added that a total of 39,000 people, including 14,000 women and girls, received explosive ordnance risk education in communities and areas of return.
The UN Secretary-General’s report spotlights that the Taliban continue to threaten humanitarian workers and interfere in the implementation of humanitarian activities, with 299 incidents reported between 6 February and 20 May 2023, compared with 158 during the same period in 2022. The report recorded 78 attacks against humanitarian personnel, assets, and facilities and 118 gender-related incidents in recent months.
Taliban and Drug
The UN Secretary-General’s report highlights that the Taliban decree to ban opium cultivation and supply has been less effective, while illicit drug prices have soared to 10%, illegal activities of trafficking and money laundering have prevailed, and many livelihoods have been threatened without alternative means of income.
“Amid the continued ban on narcotics, the average national prices for dry and fresh opium at farms continue to be high, at about $335 and $202 per kg, respectively, more than four times the price of dry opium in July 2021,” The report said.
“The ban on drug trafficking has not been fully implemented and opium is still being traded across the country. According to unconfirmed reports, some opium markets have been relocated from prominent spots along main roads to more discreet locations to minimize visibility.”
The report also sheds light on the increased production and trade of methamphetamine, stating that the illegal activities of such substances remain far from controlled and “persist”.
“The de facto authorities have prohibited the production and trade of methamphetamine and stated that they are cracking down on all associated activities, including the destruction of confiscated materials. Nevertheless, reports from the ground suggest that illicit activities related to these controlled substances, such as production and trade, persist. Seizures in nearby countries suggest that some of these activities continue to extend across borders.” The report continues.
