UN Security Council to Hold Session on Afghanistan and UNAMA’s Role
The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold a new session on Wednesday, December 9, to review the situation in Afghanistan. During the meeting, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) will present its latest report on the country’s conditions to Security Council members.
The session comes amid a three-month delay in the UN’s appointment of a new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan. UNAMA has been operating under interim leadership, and the last appearance at the Security Council by a UN Special Representative was in September, when Roza Otunbayeva attended in that role.
Meanwhile, Afghan women’s rights activists have voiced criticism of UNAMA’s performance. They argue that by facilitating the international community’s engagement with the Taliban administration, the mission has effectively contributed to the group’s indirect legitimization—even as human rights abuses and restrictions on women and other groups persist under the Taliban’s rule.
Over the past four years, UNAMA has launched several initiatives, including the Doha Process and the so-called Mosaic Program, in an attempt to resolve Afghanistan’s political and human rights crises. However, these efforts have fallen short of achieving their main goals—broad-based political participation and the establishment of an inclusive government. Although UNAMA maintains that engaging in dialogue with the Taliban does not equate to formal recognition, its continued insistence on interaction has drawn criticism from civil society and women’s rights advocates.
At the same time, UNAMA has repeatedly held the Taliban administration responsible for escalating human rights violations, particularly those targeting women. Despite this, the Taliban have also criticized the mission, questioning the effectiveness of its activities.
