KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UN Security Council will convene on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, with Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in the country, scheduled to brief members and present her latest report.
The session is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. New York time (6:30 p.m. in Afghanistan), according to a post by UNAMA on X (formerly Twitter).
No further details about the session have been released. It will be the council’s third meeting on Afghanistan this year, following sessions in March and June.
This will be Otunbayeva’s final appearance before the council as head of UNAMA and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. She was appointed to the role in September 2022.
During her three-year tenure, Otunbayeva repeatedly urged the international community to engage with the Taliban. Her approach faced criticism from women’s rights advocates, activists, and Taliban opponents, some of whom argue that she fell short of fulfilling UNAMA’s mandate, particularly in pressing the Taliban on human rights, promoting a more inclusive government, and addressing the threat of terrorism.
Her successor has yet to be named. Analysts say geopolitical shifts complicate the appointment, as Russia and China, both permanent members of the Security Council, have strengthened ties with the Taliban in recent years, and Russia formally recognized the group as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers in June.
Despite differences among members, the Security Council broadly agrees on the urgent need for Afghanistan to confront terrorism, improve governance, and address a worsening human rights and humanitarian crisis.
