UN Security Council Votes to Secure Formal Presence in Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan

The UNSC passed a resolution which spells out the new one-year mandate of the UN political mission in Afghanistan.

The United Nations passed a resolution which spells out the new one-year mandate of the UN political mission in Afghanistan, without using the word Taliban.

(Photo: PTI)

The UN Security Council voted on Thursday, 17 March, to secure a formal presence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, which it said was “crucial” to resolve humanitarian and economic crisis in the country, reported AFP.

The UNSC passed a resolution which sets forth the new one-year mandate of the UN political mission in Afghanistan, without using the word Taliban.

The vote was 14-1 in favour, with Russia abstaining.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) resolution involves cooperation on several fronts, such as the humanitarian, political, and human rights fronts.

Norway's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Mona Juul, whose country drafted the resolution, told AFP,

“This new mandate for UNAMA is crucial not only to respond to the immediate humanitarian and economic crisis, but also to reach our overarching goal of peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

She added that the Council gives a clear message that the UNAMA is essential in promoting peace in Afghanistan and aims to support the Afghan people in times of “unprecedented challenges and uncertainty”.

After 20 years of war, the Taliban captured Afghanistan's capital Kabul in 10 days on 15 August, as President Ashraf Ghani fled the war-torn country. Taliban’s co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar had announced his victory in a video message posted on social media.

(With inputs from AFP.)