www.u.af | International Desk
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will convene its second quarterly briefing on the situation in Afghanistan this coming Monday, June 23.
According to a statement released by the Council, key speakers at the open session will include Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA; Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs; and Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women.
Following the open briefing, a closed-door consultation will be held among Council members. The statement noted that some regional states may also participate in the open session under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
The meeting will address a wide range of issues, including:
- The humanitarian situation
- The plight of Afghan refugees
- The ongoing threat of terrorism
- Women’s rights and restrictions on their participation in public life
“Bahous and other speakers are expected to emphasize the importance of ensuring the full, equal, and meaningful participation of Afghan women in society, while highlighting the continuing negative impact of Taliban policies on the rights of women and girls,” the Council stated.
Political analyst Gul Mohammad Sediqi Mohammadi commented:
“If the Security Council aims to help reform Afghanistan and integrate the current Afghan government into the international community, it must maintain consistent engagement with the caretaker government.”
In addition, Roza Otunbayeva is expected to brief Council members on the next stages of the Doha process, launched in May 2023 to facilitate international coordination and develop a political roadmap for engagement with the Taliban.
The Council confirmed that two Doha process working group meetings — on counter-narcotics and on Afghanistan’s private sector — are scheduled for June 30 and July 1 in Doha.
“These working groups are part of ongoing efforts to address key challenges and explore pathways for more effective cooperation with Afghanistan,” the statement noted.
Political analyst Idris Mohammadi Zazai observed:
“Resolving Afghanistan’s economic and political crises will require mutual concessions by both the Islamic Emirate and the international community — compromises that at this stage remain elusive.”
Meanwhile, another analyst, Aziz Maraj, voiced skepticism about the potential outcomes:
“Such meetings have neither helped Afghanistan in the past nor will they now. They typically result in little more than repetitive speeches and reports with questionable accuracy.”
So far, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has issued no official statement on the upcoming UNSC briefing, though it recently rejected the UN Secretary-General’s latest quarterly report on Afghanistan.
This will be the second of four scheduled Security Council briefings on Afghanistan for 2025.
