The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), on Friday, December 29, adopted a resolution that provides for the appointment of a UN special envoy for Afghanistan. Resolution 2721, which was adopted with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions (by China and Russia), takes positive note of the assessment submitted to the Security Council on November 8.
The international community has come under criticism in the past two years for its disorganized approach to handling the crisis in Afghanistan that has unfolded with the Taliban’s return to power. Critics say that lack of coherence and long-term strategy has only helped the Taliban to solidify its power base.
In an effort to better organize, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tasked in March the Turkish veteran diplomat, Feridun Sinirlioğlu to produce an independent assessment of the situation in Afghanistan. Mr. Sinirlioğlu’s report, submitted in November, recommended the appointment of a UN special envoy and more robust engagement with the Taliban, especially on economic and security issues.
The report said that its recommendations could help the UN and the international community better respond to the basic needs of Afghanistan’s population, increase regional cooperation on issues of mutual interest such as terrorism and narcotics, and facilitate political dialogue among citizens of Afghanistan.
The assessment received criticism from opposition groups to the Taliban and several political figures who accused it of attempting to “whitewash” the regime in Kabul. Ahmad Massoud, leader of the armed anti-Taliban group National Resistance Front (NRF), deemed the document “incomplete” and “weak,” emphasizing that supporting such an assessment could further deteriorate the country’s already dire situation.
The Taliban, however, welcomed most parts of the assessment but opposed the appointment of a special envoy for Afghanistan, deeming it “unacceptable”. Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Taliban told TOLOnews that Afghanistan has a strong central government that is perfectly capable of independently managing its internal affairs as well as conducting its own diplomacy, “hence the establishment of parallel mechanisms by the United Nations such as a Special Envoy are unacceptable.”
It remains unclear how much of regional support the report’s recommendations could harness should the UN adopt them. Positions of regional stakeholders and global powers grow more and more divergent when it comes to Afghanistan. The abstention vote by Russia and China in the Security Council shows that any move supported by the United States will run the risk of losing regional support. Geopolitical rivalries in Ukraine and elsewhere continue to cast an effect on what a coherent international community could achieve in Afghanistan.
The Security Council’s resolution could be seen in many ways as calling for a more ambitious and robust engagement in Afghanistan. But it is yet to be seen if such overgrowth would be doable given the competing crisis demanding international attention. The past two years have shown a steep decline in international interest in Afghanistan. The UN appeal for a humanitarian budget in the country remains largely unfulfilled while the economic and humanitarian crisis in the country only deepens. Economic constraints globally, nationalist politics, and other crises such as the War in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza have pushed Afghanistan to a back seat in many country’s foreign policy agendas.
The Friday resolution was co-penned by UAE and Japan, who are the penholders of the Afghanistan file in the Security Council. Both countries enjoy cordial relationships with the Taliban regime in Kabul although none recognizes its government. Japan was one the first countries to resume its diplomatic mission in Afghanistan at the ambassador level after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The UAE, despite losing its ambassador and several diplomats to a Taliban attack in 2019, has developed closer ties to the regime since they have resumed power.
It is not clear who the UN special envoy would be. Many believe that Mr. Sinirlioğlu could be a candidate to follow up on his own recommendations. Whoever the envoy may be, harnessing the support from key regional and international stakeholders as well as Afghan sides including the Taliban will prove a nearly insurmountable challenge given the increasing polarization.
