Topic: The situation in Afghanistan - United Nations Security Council Meeting

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (CARL BUSTINERA): The 834th meeting of the security

council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is the
situation in Afghanistan. The agenda is adopted. *pinukpok ang gavel*

In accordance with rule 37 of the council’s provisional rules of

procedure, I invite the representative of Afghanistan to participate
in this meeting. It is so decided. The security council will now begin
its consideration of item two of the agenda.

I would like to warmly welcome his excellency, the Secretary-General

Mr. Antonio Gutierrez and would like to give him the floor.
Excellency, you have the floor.

SECRETARY-GENERAL (JUDE OGARTE): Your excellency Mr. President,

excellencies. The world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy
heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead. All of us have seen the
images in real time, chaos and rest, uncertainty, and fear. Much lies in
the balance, the progress, the hope, the dreams of a generation of young
Afghan women and girls, boys and men.

At this grave hour, I urge all parties, especially the Taliban to

exercise utmost restraint to protect lives and to ensure that
humanitarian needs can be met. Conflict has forced hundreds of
thousands from their homes. The Capital City is in a huge influx of
internally displaced persons from provinces around the country where
they felt insecure or fled during fighting. I remind all parties of
their obligation to protect civilians and I call on all parties to
provide humanitarians with any impeded access to deliver timely and
life-saving services and aid. And I also urge all countries to be
willing to receive Afghan refugees and refrain from any deportations.
Mr. President, now is the time to stand as one, the international
community must be united and utilize all available instruments to
ensure the following: First, we must speak with one voice to uphold
human rights in Afghanistan, I call upon the taliban and all parties
to respect and protect international humanitarian law and the rights
and freedoms of all persons. We are receiving chilling reports of
severe restrictions on human rights throughout the country and I am
particularly concerned by accounts of mounting human rights violations
against the women and girls of Afghanistan who fear a return to the
darkest days. It is essential that the hard-won rights of Afghan women
and girls are protected, they are looking to the international
community for support, the same international community that assured
them that opportunities would be expanded, education would be
guaranteed, freedoms would be spread, and rights would be secured.
Second, the international community must unite to make sure that
Afghanistan is never again used as a platform or safe haven for
terrorist organizations. I appeal to the security council and the
international community as a whole to stand together, to work
together, and act together, and use all tools at its disposal to
suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan, and to guarantee
that basic human rights will be respected regardless of world’s power.
These two fundamental principles in which our world has such a deep
and abiding interest must be upheld.

Mr. President, the United Nations is committed to supporting Afghans,

we continue to have staff and offices in areas that have come under
Taliban control. I am relieved to report that in large measure, our
personnel and premises have been respected. We urge the Taliban to
continue to do so and to honor the integrity and inferior
inviolability of diplomatic envoys and premises. The Mediterranean
crisis in Afghanistan affects 18 million people, fully half of the
country’s population. It is vital that basic services continue to be
provided in a statement issued yesterday, the Taliban said that they
 would work with the existing institutions. It is crucial that civil
servant salaries continue to be paid, infrastructure is maintained,
airports are reopened and health and education services continue. The
United Nations presence will adapt to the security situation, but
above all we will stay and deliver in support of the Afghan people in
their hour of need. Looking ahead, I call for an immediate end to
violence for the rights of all Afghans to be respected and for
Afghanistan to comply with all international agreements to which it is
a party.

Mr. President, Afghans are a proud people with a rich cultural

heritage. They have known generations of war and hardship, they
deserve our full support, the following days will be pivotal, the
world is watching, we cannot and must not abandon the people of
Afghanistan and, I thank you.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the Secretary-General for his

briefing. I now give the floor to the Representative of Afghanistan. You
have the floor, please.

REPRESENTATIVE OF AFGHANISTAN (Romeo Credo) : Your excellency the

President, Excellency Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies ladies and
gentlemen! Good morning. Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to
speak at yet another council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan and
for India’s leadership of the council during this critical period. We
welcome the convening of this emergency session of the security council on
the situation in Afghanistan and thank all the council members particularly
Estonia and Norway, a scorpion holder of Afghanistan for their role in
organizing this session.

Mr. President, today I’m speaking on behalf of millions of people in

Afghanistan, whose fate hangs in the balance and are faced with an
extremely uncertain future. I’m speaking for millions of affluent
girls and women who are about to lose their freedom to go to school,
to work, and to participate in the political, economic, and social
life of the country. I’m speaking for thousands of human rights
defenders, journalists, academics, civil servants, and former security
personnel whose lives are at risk for defending human rights and
democracy. I’m speaking for thousands of internally displaced people
who are desperately in need of shelter, food, and protection in Kabul
and other places. As you’re witnessing the situation in Kabul, a city
of about 6 million people it’s extremely worrying to say the least.
You have seen chaotic scenes at the Kabul International Airport as
desperate citizens are trying to leave the country.

Mr. President, we’re extremely concerned about the Taliban's not

honoring their promises and commitments made in their statements at
Doha and other international forums. We’ve witnessed time and again
how the Taliban have broken their promises and commitments in the
past. We have seen gruesome images of Taliban’s mass executions of
military personnel and target killings of civilians in Kandahar and
other big cities.

Mr. President, we cannot allow this to happen in Kabul, which has been
the last refuge for many people escaping violence and Taliban’s
revenge attacks. Kabul residents are reporting the Taliban have
already started house-to-house searches in some neighborhoods
registering names and looking for people in their target list. There
are already reports of target killings and looting in the city of
Kabul, residents are living in absolute fear right now.

Mr. President, there is no time for blame game anymore. We have an

opportunity to prevent further violence, prevent Afghanistan
descending into a civil war and becoming a pariah state. Therefore,
the security council and the U.N Secretary-General should use every
means at its disposal to call for an immediate secession of violence
and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Call
on the Taliban to fully respect the general amnesty offered by them,
seize target killing and revenge attacks and abide by international
humanitarian laws. Urge that no public institutions and service
delivery infrastructure be demolished including works of arts in
museums and media institutions. Stress that anyone violating the human
rights of Afghan citizens and international humanitarian law will be
held accountable. Urgently establish a humanitarian corridor for the
evacuation of those at risk of Taliban’s retributions and attacks.
Call on neighboring countries of Afghanistan to open their borders and
facilitate the exit of people trying to escape an entry of goods for
humanitarian relief and operations. Call for the immediate
establishment of an inclusive and representative transitional
government that includes all ethnic groups and women representatives
which can lead to a dignified and lasting solution to the conflict,
bring peace and preserve the gains of the last 20 years, especially
for women and girls. Stress that the council and the United Nations
will not recognize any administration that achieves power through
force or any government that is not inclusive and representative of
the diversity of the country. Unequivocally state that it does not
recognize the restoration of the Islamic emirate, as reinformed in
previous council statements and agreements establish international
guarantees for the implementation of a future political agreement, and
finally mobilize urgent humanitarian assistance for the 18 million
people of Afghanistan particularly those displaced by current
conflict. The U.N humanitarian appeal at 1.3 billion dollars remains
forty percent funded. We urge the international community to meet the
remainder of this life saving appeal to provide critical aid to all
internally displaced people.

At the end, I would like to thank the United Nations and many other
international organizations who are on the ground providing life
saving humanitarian support and monitoring human rights on the ground.
Thank you, Mr. President!
PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of
Afghanistan for a statement. I will now give the floor to those counsel
members who wish to make statements. I give the floor to the representative
of Estonia. You have the flow please.

REPRESENTATIVE OF ESTONIA (Andrei Barcena) : Thank you, Mr. President.

I uh… welcome the presence and the strong messages of the secretary
general and the representative of Afghanistan. Last week, we
highlighted our grave concern that the number of civilians killed and
injured in Afghanistan had reached the highest on record with the
Taliban responsible for the largest share of casualties.

Today, having declared control over Afghanistan the Taliban bear even
greater responsibility and accountability for the safety and security
of all people in Afghanistan. Estonia calls for those empowered in
positions of authority to adhere to international law, in particular
international humanitarian law and upload the norms standard on
human rights.

What has not changed is that more than half the population of
Afghanistan is in need of humanitarian aid. It is of critical
importance to ensure that humanitarian access is not hindered and that
providers can work in safety.
 
We call on all parties to allow immediate safe and unhindered
humanitarian access for you and humanitarian agencies and other actors
providing assistance. This is the time for building, repairing and
healing not for retaliating, looting or profiteering. It is the
utmost time to establish peace. The people of Afghanistan deserve
peace and security. A sustainable end to the conflict in Afghanistan
can only be ensured through inclusive political settlement that
upholds the constitutional protections for the rights of all people of
Afghanistan, particularly women, children and persons belonging to
 minorities. Only an inclusively negotiated political solution can lead
to a durable peace in the country as well as stability in the region.

Mr. President, I would like to reiterate Estonias' commitment to the

people of Afghanistan. However, our cooperation with any future
Afghanistan leadership will be based upon its willingness to uphold
the positive achievement of recent decades and act by the norms and
standards of international law including international human rights.

Our political and financial support continues to be conditional

apoundant preservation of the country's human rights and democratic
achievements. We welcome the efforts of Afghanistan neighbours and
partners who have offered their help providing shelter to those
escaping the dangers and the uncertainties that accompany armed
conflict. I would end with a special thank you to the UN mission in
Afghanistan. The efforts of the mission are now more important than
ever, as is the safety and security of their staff. Thank you!
PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera): I thank the representative of Estonia
for a statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Norway. You
have the flow please…

REPRESENTATIVE OF NORWAY (Grace Gatpandan) : Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you for calling this emergency meeting on the situation in

Afghanistan. Allowing me also to thank the secretary general uh for
his participation and his briefing as well as the ambassador. It's
sad for his remarks. To echo the secretary general and previous
speakers the situation of Afghanistan is extremely serious. Over the
last few weeks amidst an ongoing violent conflict the national
security and defense forces of the country collapsed almost in their
entirety of the last 24 to 48 hours, the leadership of the central
government has disintegrated
The country and its population are now facing a multi-layered crisis
of very significant proportion suffering and hardship because of
violent conflict, growth of food insecurity and as well as the covid
19 pandemic and other infectious diseases like polio and measles. We,
the secretary, the security council and the entire international
commitment need to show our contentious commitment to them in both
words and actions. In this unprecedented situation Norway calls for an
immediate end to the violence in Afghanistan, the restoration of
security and civil order and urgent talks to resolve the current
crisis of constitutional authority and to arrive at a peaceful
settlement.

The reality the international community now must contend with is that
the Taliban movement exercises de facto control over much of Afghan
territory including the capital Kabul. We've taken careful note of
statements by Taliban representatives during the last few days. These
include insurances that security and safety of all afghans diplomats
and humanitarian workers will be guaranteed. It has been communicated
that the government workers what military or civilian will not face
retribution of any kind. Furthermore, Taliban representatives have
stated that the women and girls will have access to work and
education. These are encouraged but the Taliban will be judged not by
their words but their action in the days, weeks and months ahead. How
Taliban conduct themselves in actual deed will matter a great deal in
terms of weather and how the international community will be willing
and able to relate to cooperate with and support a future new Afghan
government in which Taliban participates.

Restoring law and order kabu must have the utmost priority. There
have been disturbing reports of looting and chaos. The current
situation at and around Kabul international airport is also unclear
and deeply worrying. We call on old parties to ensure that all afghan
and foreign nationals who wish to leave the country can do so in a
safe and orderly way. The ongoing violence across Afghanistan
including in urban areas has caused grave harm to civilians specially
children as well as the abruption of services damage to civilian
infrastructure including those providing water and sanitation food and
education and health services. Safe access to these services must be
immediately restored. We are deeply concerned about the number of
reported serious violence of international humanitarian law and human
rights abuses in communities affected by ongoing armed conflict across
the country and stress the urgent and imperative need to bring the
perpetrators to justice. All parties must respect their obligation
under international humanitarian law in all circumstances including
those relating to the protection of civilians. A sustainable end to
the conflict in Afghanistan can only be achieved through an inclusive
just durable and realistic political settlement that upholds human
rights specially for women, children, and minorities.

We express our support for the ongoing political and diplomatic

efforts centered on both Doha and Kabul to ensure a transition that is
orderly and prevent further bloodshed. We command the ongoing
diplomatic efforts by several key stakeholders including the United
States, Qatar, and Pakistan.The future new government must be united
inclusive representative and participatory you must have the full
equal and meaningful participation of women it must adhere to
Afghanistan international obligation including with regards to
respecting humanitarian, universal humanitarian universal,
humanitarian human rights.

Finally for peace builders, human rights defenders, journalists and

media workers, especially the brave women who for years have stood up
for their rights and demanded equal participation and say in future
the situation feels desperate. Consistent modernization negotiations
as well as reprisals and targeted violence against them and family
members gross deep concern about the safety and goal of an inclusive
political settlement. In the current situation we the council and the
wider international community all have a responsibility to ensure the
 protection and must use all means of support diplomatic and political
channels to amplify their voices and protect them from harm. Thank
you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of Norway

for a statement. I now give the flow to the representative of the United
States. You have the flow please..

REPRESENTATIVE OF UNITED STATES (Alleah Jaucian) : Thank you, Mr. President

secretary general Guterres thank you for your sobering briefing and for
your strong statement for the role along with your personal envoy John or
no and representative Lyons and her team on the ground especially vital
now. And as we enter an uncertain and crucial period that requires the
international community to speak with a clear and unified voice. The United
States deeply appreciates the continued efforts of Yanama and other U.N
actors on the ground in Afghanistan that are continuing to provide
life-saving assistance to afghans in need. We also thank Norway and Estonia
for calling this meeting in India for convening it given the events of the
past 72 hours and we welcome the participation of Afghanistan to this
meeting.

Over this past weekend, members of the international community joined

together to state unequivocally that every afghan should be able to
live in safety, security and dignity.

We also called on all parties in Afghanistan to ensure safe departures

and the protection of human life and property. Today, I want to
reiterate, re-emphasize and reassert this call. Civilian populations
including journalists and non-combatants must be protected. Attacks
against civilians or civilian objects must stop and the human rights
and fundamental freedoms of all Afghan citizens especially women,
girls, and members of minority groups must be respected. We also call
on all parties to prevent terrorism and we must all ensure Afghanistan
cannot ever ever again be a base for terrorism. We also call on the
 Taliban to permit humanitarian organizations to continue their
valuable work in Afghanistan. In addition to the ongoing violence, the
Afghan people are suffering acutely from the effects of COVID-19 and
drought. These urgent humanitarian needs must remain top of mind for
all of us in the coming hours, days and weeks, and beyond.
Humanitarian personnel and agencies must have safe, unhindered access
to provide life-saving assistance to the increasing numbers of Afghans
in need. We are deeply concerned that right now, aid is not flowing to
people in crisis.

According to the World Food Program, more than 500 tons of aid are
currently sitting at border crossings taken over by Taliban forces.
These aid deliveries must remain, must resume immediately and the
world food program must have immediate and sustained safe passage to
deliver this much needed assistance. Finally and critically, all
Afghan nationals and international citizens who wish to depart must be
allowed to do so safely. President Biden has made clear that any
action that puts U.S. personnel or our mission at risk will be met
with a swift and strong military response. The United States promises
to be generous in resettling Afghans in our own country and I'm
heartened by the pledges we've seen from other nations to do the same.
We need to all do more and the time to step up is now. We urge
Afghanistan’s neighbors and others in the region and beyond to give
refuge, be it temporary or permanent, to Afghans attempting to flee.
And together, we must do everything we can to help Afghanistan, to
help Afghans who wish to leave and seek refuge. I will close where I
began. The Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security, and
dignity. We, in the international community, stand ready to assist
them. Thank you very much.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of the

United States for her statement. I now give the flow to the representative
of france. You have the flow please.
REPRESENTATIVE OF FRANCE (Kay Palomania) : Thank you very much, Mr.
President. I'd like to thank you for convening this meeting at a tragic,
historic time for Afghanistan. The situation is very serious because this
is a new era and the future of this country that has suffered so much is
more uncertain than ever. We’ve heard the secretary general express his
concern, we share his concern. All eyes are on Kabul where peace and
security in Afghanistan but also of the entire region are in jeopardy.

I would firstly like to reiterate our firm condemnation of violence

and and human rights violations and violations of IHL which are taking
place at the moment in Afghanistan. All parties to the conflict must
respect their commitments in particular, the protection of civilians.
We would call for an immediate ceasefire and the respective
international Law.

In the middle of this violence, my heart goes out to those who've

built today's modern Afghanistan. They must be protected, their
protection but more broadly the protection of civilians and in
particular women and children must be an absolute priority. The
perpetrators of abuse must be brought to justice. This council must
carefully monitor the evolving situation. Civilians and in particular
women and children must not be forgotten. Women must be protected,
their rights must be respected. The democratic progress combating
organized crime and in particular fighting drugs, the protection of
cultural heritage. All of these progress which brought Afghanistan
over the past 20 years into the international community must not be
wiped out. The third priority is ofcourse Afghan unity. Peace can only
prevail if everyone participates in it. Finally, the security
situation must not blot out the urgent humanitarian situation. The
conflict has increased the number of displaced persons and is
increasing the already immense needs of the entire population.
Humanitarian assistance must be accessible to all, the access of
medical and humanitarian stuff to all people in need and also their
protection must be guaranteed.
 In conclusion, sir, I would like to remind you that France stands
shoulder to shoulder with the Afghan people and all its partners to
make progress towards peace. The primary partner is UNAMA here i’d
like to commend the courage on the work of all of the teams of the
mission under the auspices and coordination or Deborah Lyons and I'd
also like to commend the work of Jean Arnold the United Nations have a
key, role to play in Afghanistan but the UN cannot work alone. The
resolute commitment of the International Community standing beside the
Afghan people will also be decisive over the next few months and
years. Thank you.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of France.

I now give the flow to the representative of the United Kingdom. You have
the flow, please.

REPRESENTATIVE OF UNITED KINGDOM (Ronel Francisco) : Thank you, Mr.

President and thank you secretary general for your briefing. Mr. President,
what is happening now in Afghanistan is a tragedy. We have long believed
that the only path to a sustainable peace in Afghanistan and regional
stability, lay in a negotiated political settlement. We have worked hard to
breathe life into peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the
Taliban. Working closely with the U.S., our leading allies and other
regional powers. The Taliban pledged at Doha to engage in those talks in
good faith. Their actions on the ground have betrayed that promise.

Mr. President, the Taliban must immediately do three things: First,

they need to cease all hostilities and military action to ensure the
protection of civilians and to allow a safe and orderly departure of
foreign nationals and others who wish to leave. Second, they must
commit unequivocally not to harbor or give safe haven to terrorist
groups which endanger other countries. And third, the Taliban must
honor their promises to protect and uphold human rights including
those of women, girls, and minorities. We have seen evidence of
 Taliban human rights abuses in areas where they have taken control
including persecution, persecution of minority groups, harsh
restrictions on women, allegations of forced marriage and using
civilians as human shields. If the Taliban continue to abuse basic
human rights, they cannot expect to enjoy any legitimacy in the eyes
of the Afghan people or the International community.

Mr. President, given the fragile security situation, Afghanistan is

now facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Lack of access has
masked the true scale of the problem. Half the population were already
in need of humanitarian assistance at the start of the year and the
situation is much worse now. The Taliban must respect international
humanitarian law and permit humanitarian organizations to continue
their work with unhindered safe access to those in need. The United
Kingdom has long been a leading provider of humanitarian aid to
Afghans both in Afghanistan and the region. Over the recent years, the
U.K. has been proud to be one of the leading contributors to the
Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.

We will continue to work with our partners in this council, in the

human rights council, and most importantly in the region to deliver a
more stable and inclusive Afghanistan for all its people. It is vital
that the international community can coordinate closely in the coming
days and weeks to ensure that we speak with a single message on our
engagement with Afghanistan. The U.K. will use the unit's presidency
of the G7 and membership of this council to help forge such closer
coordination and to address the humanitarian plight that the Afghan
people now face. Thank you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of the

United Kingdom for the statement. I now give the flow to the representative
of Kenya. You have the flow please.
REPRESENTATIVE OF KENYA (Vernice Sarmiento) : Good Morning, Mr. President.
I have the honor to make this statement on behalf of the A3 plus one
namely; Kenya, Tunisia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Nishair. I
thank the secretary general for his briefing on the latest developments in
Afghanistan. The A3 plus one reiterates its support for the stabilization
efforts deployed by the UN in the search for a durable solution to the
Afghan crisis which has been developing in warning ways in the past few
days.

Mr. President, this meeting comes on the heels of a similar meeting we

held on the sixth of this month. If at that time we still had at hope
as slim as that might have been for the Taliban to heed our appeal and
stop their attacks, today we're faced with a fate accompli with the
effective collapse of the Afghan government and a takeover by the
insurgents. The a3 plus one deplores the violence, human rights abuses
and and the loss of life, and the suffering endured by the civilian
population who were forced to leave their areas because of the latest
combat all over the country. We reiterate our call for an immediate
end to the hostilities.

REPRESENTATIVE OF KENYA (Vernice Sarmiento) : We reiterate our principal

rejection for any seizure of power by force and call for the establishment
of an effective dialogue convinced that the only viable solution to this
conflict is a negotiated political settlement. We take note of the
discussions between the Taliban and the different Afghans stakeholders. We
hope that these negotiations will result in an interim transitional
Government that would be inclusive and take into account other political
voices within the country. We also urge the International community and all
regional powers that have leverage on the warring parties to use that
influence and advocate for a lasting ceasefire condition, which is a
condition for true dialogue.

Mr. President, it is difficult to predict how the coming days, months,

or years will unfold in particular with regard to the political and
security situations. One thing that remains for certain is that
Afghanistan is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe of which the
first victims are women and children. The A3 plus would therefore like
to highlight the importance of finding an urgent and sustainable
solution to the already dire humanitarian crisis which has been
worsened by the recent fighting. The effects of the recent upsurge of
violence combined with those of climate change and the COVID-19
Pandemic have created a situation where more than third (3rd) of the
population is experiencing food insecurity and thousands are
internally displaced. The overwhelming majority being women and
children, We call for the United Nations and the humanitarian agencies
to step up their support to the displaced populations and honor the
pledges made to the Afghan humanitarian plan.

Mr. President. The Afghan people now more than ever need the support
and solidarity of the International community, and regional players to
help them navigate this challenging time. Every effort must be to
mitigate the pains of the civil war and to assist them in their search
for peace and a stable environment. Conducive to the pursuit of
Democratic Governance as well as social and economic well-being. The
A3 plus one continued to welcome and fully support the good offices of
the United Nations and all other diplomatic efforts by neighboring
countries to reduce tension in order to reach a negotiated solution to
the crisis. Furthermore, we emphasize that the search for peace must
not be at the expense of Afghan human rights particularly those of
women, children, and Afghanistan ethnic and religious minorities.

While making peace requires settlement between combatants. We believe

that the International community does not wish for peace processes to
reward and legitimize the use of military interventions in association
with terrorist organizations through political recognition. We recall
how the Taliban came to be thrown out of power because of their
support of al-qaeda (AL QAEDA) . The release of prisoners affiliated
to Isis and al-qaeda by the Taliban are extremely disturbing. Such
actions will embolden terrorist network and motivate resurgence of
 increased export of terrorism, particularly to countries in regions
that have conflict situations. In its statement of the 6th of August
the A3 plus one recalled this council's decisions to split the
al-qaeda and Taliban sanction lists in response to efforts by the
Afghan government to negotiate a peace process with the Taliban that
would lead to national reconciliation in Afghanistan. The purpose of
this decision was to provide a future lifeline for members of the
Taliban that renounce violence and disassociate themselves from
al-qaeda. Therefore, the council must not relent in its demand that
the Taliban make sustained efforts to embrace peace, cease its link
with al-qaeda and Isis and engage in the peace process that will
transform Afghanistan to a net exporter of peace .

As we conclude, Mr. President the A3 plus one, notes that the

situation of Afghanistan is extremely volatile and unpredictable.
Armed insurgent groups and terrorist groups across the world are
watching closely in order to replicate the unravelling events. This
council must therefore, carefully consider the decisions it makes
fully aware that building political tracks for entities using
terrorism to achieve political end be counterproductive. Finally,
Kenya, Tunisia, Saint Vincent the Grenadines, and Niger reaffirm their
unwavering solidarity with the people of Afghanistan during these
uncertain times and reaffirm our Support for their vision for our
peaceful and progressive country. I, thank you for your attention!

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the Representative of Kenya

for a statement. I now give the floor to the Representative of Ireland. You
have the flow please.

REPRESENTATIVE OF IRELAND (Kate Samonte) : Thank you very much Mr.

President. And I want to thank the Secretary General for his presence with
us here today and for his very powerful words at the beginning of our
meeting.
Mr. President, we supported the convening of this urgent meeting today
to discuss the unfolding tragic development in Afghanistan. Over the
past weeks we’ve witnessed as we’ve heard in real time the Taliban
seizing control of Afghan cities by force. Culminating in the loss of
government control in Kabul we’ve all seen the scenes of chaos at the
airport. We cannot say that we are not warned of this possible
outcome. In this room, we have heard many worrying alerts not least in
the courageous testimony of members of Afghan civil society. Sadly and
tragically for so many we failed to heed these warnings. Now, we will
have to address the consequences now in the face of an unfolding
crisis of tragic proportions. This council will have to assume its
responsibilities and act.

Mr. President this is a calamitous situation for all the people of

Afghanistan. As we have consistently done in this chamber we condemn
the violence and the indiscriminate attacks perpetrated against
civilians in Afghanistan. The violence and intimidation must end. It's
clear that we have entered a new phase in Afghanistan. Peace will only
be achieved through an agreed inclusive and negotiated solution.
Violence does not provide legitimacy nor does it deliver durable
peace, respect for the rule 0f law and compliance to international
law, including international humanitarian law, and human rights law is
imperative.

We call now for the utmost restraint to protect lives and to ensure
that the dire humanitarian situation needs to be addressed. Given the
urgency of the situation on the desperate plight facing the Afghan
people it is vital that we act to address the crisis facing
Afghanistan whose lives are at imminent risk through worsening
violence, displacement, and food and security. The international
community has a responsibility to respond to act to protect civilians
and to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people. Safe and
reliable humanitarian access must be guaranteed and protected. And the
work of all relevant to U.N agencies and humanitarian partners be
facilitated without exception.
Mr. President those who have worked for peace, human rights defenders
who have endeavoured tirelessly to promote and protect the rights of
their fellow citizens must not be abandoned now. I wish to address the
women of Afghanistan directly, women who have the most at stake as
democratic government dissolves and an uncertain future awaits. less
there be any doubt to the gravity of the situation.

I am speaking to the women at the airports with their children and

families trying to find a way out , to the women hiding in their
homes, to the women sleeping in the streets , to the women still
fighting for peace and human rights. Though it may well now risk their
lives. Women of Afghanistan, we hear you and we hear your please to
the International community at this dark time. The fear, indignation,
and sense of betrayal. You feel understood. It is righteous. I call on
this council to stand with the women of Afghanistan, their rights and
their future participation in Afghan society cannot be sacrificed.
This is our shared responsibility at this table, it must be our shared
priority also, all of us around the table can and should agree that as
a non-negotiable principle in all discussions.

The rights of women in Afghanistan must be protected. This is the

future of Afghanistan. The Taliban have reportedly said that women
have nothing to fear from them yet, we hear multiple and credible
reports of summary executions, forces marriages, and of sexual and
gender based violence. Telling the international community what it
wants to hear will fool no one! We will not a blind eye to the truth.
We condemn in the strongest terms the deliberate targeting of women
and girls by the Taliban. Girls must be free to attend school, women
must be able to participate fully in society, and those who speak up
for human rights must be free to do so. In focusing on the needs of
women of course, I want to also condemn reported reprisals, attacks
and summary executions on Afghan men. This also must stop.

Mr. President it is high time to learn from the past or we will be

doomed, to see the worst repeating itself in Afghanistan two decades
of progress are disintegrating on our watch. The Afghan people have
worked hard and lost too much to see their futures. Repeating the past
of their mothers, their fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers
generations lost to conflict, strong enduring peace can only be built.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, and I want to thank the Secretary
General for his presence with us here today and for his very powerful
words at the beginning of our meeting, Mr. President. We supported the
convening of this urgent meeting today to discuss the unfolding tragic
development in Afghanistan.

Over the past weeks we've witnessed, as we've heard in real time, the
Taliban seizing control of Afghan cities by force culminating in the
loss of the government controlling Cabool. We've all seen the scenes
of chaos at the airport. We cannot say that we were not warned of this
possible outcome. In this room, we have heard many worrying alerts not
least in the courageous testimony of members of Afghan civil society.
Sadly and tragically for so many, we fail to heed these warnings. Now
we will have to address the consequences. Now, in the face of an
unfolding crisis of tragic proportions this Council will have to
assume its responsibilities and act. Mr. President, this is a
calamitous situation for all of the people of Afghanistan. As we have
consistently done in this Chamber. We condemn the appalling violence
and the indiscriminate attacks perpetrated against civilians in
Afghanistan.

The violence and intimidation must end. It's clear that we have
entered a new phase in Afghanistan. Peace will only be achieved
through an agreed inclusive and negotiated solution. Violence does not
provide legitimacy, nor does it deliver durable peace. Respect.

For the rule of law and compliance with international law, including
international humanitarian law and human rights law, is imperative. We
call now for the utmost restraint to protect lives and to ensure that
the dire humanitarian needs be addressed. Given the urgency of the
situation and the desperate plight facing the Afghan people, it is
vital that we act to address the crisis facing Afghanistan. Lives are
an imminent risk through worsening violence, displacement and food
insecurity. The international community has a responsibility to
respond, to act, to protect civilians, and to alleviate the suffering
of the Afghan people.

Safe and reliable humanitarian access must be guaranteed and

protected, and the work of all relevant UN agencies and humanitarian
partners be facilitated without exception. Mr. President, those who
have worked for peace, human rights defenders who have endeavoured
tirelessly to promote and protect the rights of their fellow citizens
must not be abandoned. Now, I wish to address the women of Afghanistan
directly, women who have the most at stake as Democratic government
dissolves and an uncertain future awaits. Lest there be any doubt as
to the gravity of the situation, I am speaking to the women at the
airport with their children and families, trying to find a way out, to
the women hiding in their homes, to the women sleeping in the streets,
to the women still fighting for peace and human rights, though it may
well now risk their lives.

Women of Afghanistan, we hear you, and we hear your pleas to the

international community. At this dark time, the fear, indignation and
sense of betrayal you feel is understood.

I call on this Council to stand with the women of Afghanistan. Their

rights and their future participation in Afghanistan society cannot be
sacrificed. This is our shared responsibility at this table. It must
be our shared priority also. All of us around the table can and should
agree that as a non negotiable principle in all discussions, the
rights of women in Afghanistan must be protected.
This is the future of Afghanistan. The Taliban have reportedly said
that women have nothing to fear from them. Yet we hear multiple and
credible reports of summary executions, forced marriages, and of
sexual and gender based violence. Telling the international community
what it wants to hear will fool no one. We will not turn a blind eye
to the truth.

We condemn in the strongest terms the deliberate targeting of women

and girls by the Taliban. Girls must be free to attend school, women
must be able to participate fully in society, and those who speak up
for human rights must be free to do so. In focusing on the needs of
women, of course, I want to also condemn reported reprisals attacks
and summary executions on Afghan men. This also must stop.

Mr. President, it is high time to learn from the past, or we will be

doomed to see the worst of history repeating itself in Afghanistan.
Two decades of progress are disintegrating on our watch. The Afghan
people have worked too hard, lost too much to see their futures repeat
the past of their mothers, their fathers, grandmothers and
grandfathers generations lost to conflict. Strong enduring peace can
only be built by inclusive and representative negotiation. Let us be
clear here today.

The future governance of Afghanistan can only have the support and
endorsement of the international community if it guarantees the full,
equal and meaningful participation of women including minority groups
and youth, upholds human rights and fundamental freedoms, and ensures
adherence to the rule of law and accountability as set out in Council
Resolution 2013. In our view, the Council needs to be prepared to
consider further measures from the toolbox at its disposal as this
crisis unfolds. Afghan Minister for Education, Rangina Hamidi spoke in
recent hours of her fear shared by many Afghan women, that she will be
forced to pay the price for trying to make Afghanistan a better place
for being active in her society. Simply realizing her rights.
 Ireland calls for a tier message today from this Council while much,
including the political future of Afghanistan is currently uncertain
what is clear is that the failure to fully respect and uphold the
rights of all the people of afghanistan and in particular the rights
and safety of women and girls cannot and will not be accepted do these
to the women of afghanistan and to all the people of afghanistan who
have faith with a promise of the international community for a
brighter future application is to and solidarity with the also is the
time of crisis. Thank you, Mr. president.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of Ireland

for this statement and now giving the floor. Representative of Mexico, you
have the floor.

REPRESENTATIVE OF MEXICO (Marvie Morales) : This emergency meeting I take

the secretary-general for his reports on his most recent events in
afghanistan, I also wish to take the delegation present here today as well
as acknowledging the presence of the permanent representative of
afghanistan during recent weeks particularly this last week and the
conflict in Afghanistan has entered a more destructive metaphase and
advance of the taliban on the main urban centers and now on cabal tickly
change the dynamics of power. It has had extra concerning humanitarian
impact the military offensive makes it clear that its fire has not been
associated and the figures are a victim of the conflicts are the highest
record Mexico rejected the use of force and of violence mistrust and
particulars that the institutional framework of the country must be
respected.

A process of national reconciliation must be sought afghanistan's

future must be done anytime all of guns mexico also unique cavalli
unico volley deplores the deliberate attack on the civilian population
reports of summary execution deliberates attack on women beatings
restrictions and the center of means of communication are all alarms
science for the international community the highest price of the
political and military and has been in Afghanistan is being paid for
by the most vulnerable the catastrophic trajectory of violence affects
a population which finds itself and increasingly precarious condition
with very few options particularly for women and girls humanitarian
personnel doctors interpreters and other international service
providers are also especially vulnerable at this moment a sign of this
is a massive wave of displacements we have noted and the despair the
desperate efforts of civilians to flee the country.

Mr. President, the military campaign has led to a drastic change of

control over the territory and material resources, my country mexico
urgently calls for the international community to seriously evaluate
the transfers of weapons which might be diverted or end up in the
wrong hands, as long as the proliferation of weapons goes on the
Taliban and other groups will have the means to reach their ends
through force.

This is why we urge that irresponsible transfers not be approved and

that the highest international standards be applied to contain the
catastrophic impact of the situation Afghanistan is going through
despite the agreement signef and the existence of a framework of the
international law fighting terrorism we are also concerned that the
door is open for Afghanistan to once again become a safe haven for
terrorist.

Any scenario for Afghanistan's future must ensure that this does not
happen mr president the international community particularly the
security council must prevent a common present a common front to show
that the use of force is unacceptable and the agreed commitments must
be respected and that dialogue and political negotiation are a given
prime place we also call on those who have direct contacts with the
Taliban to roundly condemn attacks on civilians particularly women
 girls and minorities and we call for a resumption of constructive
negotiations as quickly as possible thank you.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of Mexico

for a statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian
federation, you have the floor please!

REPRESENTATIVE OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION (Judy Bogay) : Thank you, Mr.

President! We would like to thank the secretary-general for his thoughts
and views on the situation in afghanistan we would also thank the permanent
representative of Afghanistan ambassador Gulam Isakai, we are closely
following the fast changing situation in Afghanistan as long as the
withdrawal of foreign forces was announced we all heard worrying reports
about an uptick in violence and the number of victims. Furthermore, as
we've seen major afghan cities fell without much resistance since the last
discussion in the council just 10 days have passed however the situation in
the country over that time has changed beyond recognition today all of our
eyes are on the Kabul which yesterday was quickly abandoned by the
country's leader ordinary afghans and also a part of the diplomatic corps.

It is clear that such a sharp turnabout took everyone by surprise.

This involved those who very recently made public pronouncements about
the degree of military preparedness of the Afghan Law enforcement
structures, who were prepared and trained over the past 20 years,
broadly we are continuing to closely monitor the situation in the
country. Currently we believe that there is no point in panicking. The
main point is that a widespread bloodbath among civilians has been
avoided. We urge all Afghan parties to refrain from hostilities and to
foster a settlement peacefully.

We believe that the main power players or the international community

rather must help Afghanistan, they must pull their efforts and this is
to assist Afghanistan achieve national reconciliation.
The troika of Russia, China, and Pakistan troika expanded trigger has
been actively engaged in this. We believe that an important role could
be played by Iran as well here. As regards, our future official steps
regarding the Taliban, we will interact with them irrespective of the
evolving situation and their specific actions. According to our
reports the Taliban have already sought to bring public order and have
also confirmed security guarantees for civilians and for the foreign
diplomatic mission staff. We trust that in the current circumstances,
the security of diplomatic staff and the U.N presence in Afghanistan
will be insured and their institutions will enjoy immunity. In these
circumstances, the Russian Embassy in Kabul is continuing to operate
normally.

Mr. President, we are still concerned by the ongoing presence of

terrorist threats in Afghanistan including ISIL, their terrorist
activity is likely to spill across Afghanistan's borders and thus will
threaten the security of neighboring countries in Central Asia
terrorism in is inextricably linked to the drugs problem, the
deteriorating situation in Afghanistan over recent months has led to a
sharp worsening humanitarian situation of concern are the numerous
reports about the number of IDPS and fhe flows of refugees across the
country's border. It creates an additional burden for neighboring
states including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Pakistan, not to
mention the risk of fighters infiltrating the region into alia by
pretending to be refugees. We are in regular contact with all five
Central Asian countries both bilaterally and through regional
organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation organization and the
CSTO, the collector of the organization.

Mr. President, we still want to see a swift peaceful settlement in

Afghanistan and a subsequent stabilization of the country and its
post-conflict recovery. We are convinced that an end to the years-long
bloody war and having a national reconciliation would benefit all the
 people of Afghanistan, its regional neighbors, and the world as a
whole. Thank you!

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of the

Russian Federation for a statement. I now give the floor to the
representative of vietnam. You have the floor please.

REPRESENTATIVE OF VIETNAM (Mark Jopet Bartolome) : Thank you, Mr President.

And I thank the secretary general for your present and for your briefings.
I also welcome the presence of the representative of Afghanistan to our
briefing today.

Today, Mr. President, we followed the situation in Afghanistan

especially in the recent days with deep concerns. This situation may
badly affect the security and stability of not only Afghanistan but
also the region, especially neighboring countries. We are particularly
concerned about the high number of civilian casualties reported over
the past few weeks. In the regard, I want to highlight the following:

First, the utmost priority now is to protect civilians. All parties

must respect their obligation under international humanitarian and
human right law, to ensure the protection of civilians. Particularly,
the most vulnerable such as women in children, indispensable services
to the civilian population must ensure the safety and security of U.N
personnel, humanitarian workers, foreign citizens, international
organization, robotic mission and personnel must be guaranteed.

Second, we join others calling for an end to violence, restoration of

security and civil order. We call on all parties in Afghanistan to
engage in dialogue, resolve their differences and promote national
reconciliation, respecting the aspiration of admin people for long -
term peace, stability and development of the country.
 Third, urgent efforts are needed to avoid humanitarian cutter choices
of the country, essential services for the civilian population must
not be disrupted including those to address food insecurity and
Covid- 19 pandemic. Immediate safe and unhindered humanitarian assets
must be ensured to rid the urban people in need. We also call on the
UN, regional and international partners to redouble their efforts to
achieve their back-mentioned priorities with special urgent attention
to the protection and the assistance to the civilian population in
this difficult time. Lastly, we would like to recommend the effort of
the importance of ensuring the security and safety of the mission.
Thank you, Mr. President!

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of Vietnam

for his statement. I now give the flow to the representative of china. You
have the flow please.

REPRESENTATIVE OF CHINA (Ruel Salvino) : Thank you, Mr. President. I

welcome the secretary general to the meeting today and I thank him for the
briefing. I’ve listened to the statement of the representative of
afghanistan. This situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes, we
respect the will of Afghan people. The war in Afghanistan has lasted for
more than forty (40) years, stopping the war and achieving peace is not
only the unanimous aspiration of more than 30 million afghan people. It is
also the common expectation of the international community and regional
countries. The pressing task at the moment is to restore peace, stability
and order as much as possible. So as to avoid casualties and large - scale
refugees to the ultimate extent possible.

The rights and interests of diplomatic missions and personnel in

Afghanistan are invaluable. The safety, security and interest of
foreign nationals in Afghanistan must be respected and guaranteed. All
parties have the responsibility to protect people’s lives and
property, they should provide assurance for the safe residence and
orderly evacuation fo foreign citizens.
President, China has always maintained that the political solution is
the only way out for Afghanistan. At present Afghanistan’s national
prospects are the historic crossroads. China takes note of what was
said of Afghanistan Taliban yesterday, that the war in Afghanistan had
ended and it would negotiate to establish an open inclusive islamic
government and it would take responsible actions to ensure the safety
of Afghan citizens and foreign missions in the country. China expects
that these commitments will be fulfilled so as to ensure a smooth
transition of the situation. All kinds of terrorism and criminal acts,
keep afghan people from wars and chaos and build their beautiful
homeland. We hope that the Taliban in Afghanistan will unite with all
parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan , to start and establish a
broad and inclusive political structure that suits its national
conditions in order to lay the foundation to achieve lasting peace in
the country.

In the last 20 years, terrorist organizations such as Islamic state,

Al-qeada, have gathered and developed afghanistan, posing a serious
threat to internationa and regional peace and security. Afghanistan
must never again become a haven for terrorists. This is the bottom
line that must be held firmly, for any political solution in
Afghanistan. We hope that the Taliban Afghanistan will earn its
deliver on the commitments and make a clean break with the terrorist
organizations. All countries, should fulfill their obligation in
accordance with international law and security council resolution
works with each other in combating terrorism in all forms and
manifestations and take resolute actions to prevent terrorist
organization such as Islamic state, Al-qeada, ethem from taking
advantage of this chaos. As we speak, the humanitarian situation in
Afghanistan is very sad,humanitarian assistance and epidemic
prevention and control tremendous pressure. The international
community should scale up humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and
its neighbors that have received a large number of displaced persons
 from Afghanistan to help alleviate the regional humanitarian crisis.
The relevant parties should ensure that the work of international
humanitarian relief agencies can continue unhindered. The
international community should host and continue to help Afghanistan
and its neighbors to control pandemics as possible.

President, the chaos currently in Afghanistan is directly related to

the hasty withdrawal of foreigns troops. Relevant countries earnestly
delivered the commitment to support peace, reconciliation, and
reconstruction in Afghanistan and play a constructive role in the
issue in Afghanistan. On the basis of respecting the leadership of
Afghanistan and relevant efforts of neighboring countries in the
political security, development humanitarian and anti- narcotics
fields, constructive assistance to Afghanistan should be provided on a
continuing basis. A few countries, a few council members, said in
their statement that they wish to see greater roles played by Afghan
neighbors and national countries. We learned that some regional
countries and Afghanistan's neighbors had made requests to participate
in today’s meeting. It is regrettable that their request was not
granted.

For a long time, the Yonam mission has played an important role in
supporting the peaceful reconstruction of afghanistan. Given a
situation on the ground that has undergone major changes. We hope that
the secretary general will make proper arrangements to ensure the
safety of the personnel of the mission. We also look forward to the
secretary general presenting and actionable views and recommendations
to the security council as soon as possible on the future and presence
in Afghanistan. Thank you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT OF INDIA (Carl Bustinera) : I thank the representative of China

for the statement. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the
representative of india
Allow me to warmly welcome the secretary general and his very
important remarks. I also welcome the presence of the permanent
representative of Afghanistan in the United Nations. The council’s
meeting for the second time in a period of 10 days to discuss the
situation in Afghanistan in this short period of time, we have
witnessed dramatic changes in this situation. We have also seen very
unfortunate scenes at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
There is widespread panic among the people, women and children are
distressed, incidents of firing have been reported from the city
including at the airport, while the security situation remains
precarious a grave humanitarian crisis is unfolding. We have heard
urgent appeals from all quarters including from the secretary general.
It is time for the International community, in particular this council
to act and ensure an immediate secession of violence and contain any
possible crisis and mitigate its consequences.

As a neighbor of Afghanistan, As a friend of its people, the current

situation prevailing in the country is of great concern to us in
India. Afghan men, women and children are living under a constant
state of fear they are uncertain about their future. Everyone is
concerned about the increasing violations of fundamental rights of the
Afghan citizens and are worried about whether their right to live with
dignity would be respected. There are many unanswered questions, we
hope that the situation stabilizes soon and the parties are concerned
to address the humanitarian and security issues. We also hope that
there is an inclusive dispensation which represents all sections of
Afghan society, voices of Afghan women, aspirations of Afghan children
and the rights of minorities must be respected.

A broader representation will help the arrangement gain more

acceptability and legitimacy. The current situation in Afghanistan has
numerous challenges, however there are few opportunities, if there is
a zero tolerance for a terrorism in all its form and manifestations
and it is ensured that the territory of Afghanistan is not used by
terrorist groups to threaten or attack any other country, then
Afghanistan’s neighbors and the region would feel safer, the secretary
general has undeclined this unequivocally. Just now, Afghanistan has
already seen enough bloodshed in the past it is time for the
international community to come together unitedly rising above any
partisan interest to support the people of Afghanistan in their desire
for peace stability and secretary in the country and to enable all
Afghans including women, children and minorities to live in peace and
dignity. India has contributed significantly in recent years to the
development of the country. In this context Indian development
projects have been undertaken in critical areas of power, water, road,
healthcare, education, agriculture, and capacity building. India’s
emphasis has been on the welfare and well being of the people of
Afghanistan. Before the current crisis unfolded India had ongoing
development projects in every one of 34 provinces of Afghanistan. As
underscored by council members, we need to continue to support the
robust work and ensure their safety. We call upon the party's concern
to maintain law and order ensure the safety and security of all
concerned including the U.N , diplomatic and consular personnel and
observe human rights and humanitarian law in all circumstances. Thank
you

I now resume my function as the president of the council. There are no

more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I’ll now adjourn the
meeting so that the council can continue its discussion of the subject
in-closed consultations. I’ve kindly asked all observers to exit the
chamber upon the adjournment of this meeting. The meeting is
adjourned.