Taliban, republic agreement would have been a success: Lyons

KABUL (Pajhwok): The UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons has said that much time was spent focused on reinvigorating the intra-Afghan negotiations, building confidence and regional consensus, according to a statement on Friday.

During her farewell address, Lyons reflected upon the incidents that happened during her tenure as UN SGSR and recalled Success would have been an agreement between the Republic and the Taliban on an interim government that included the Taliban but that preserved the wider inclusion of the Republic as well as the gains in human, civic, political, and women’s rights.

This proved to be impossible, and the Republic fell even before the last international troops left.

As the collapse became more and more inevitable, and most embassies began evacuating their staff, UNAMA and the UN family resolved to stay and deliver.

“We were as anxious as millions of Afghans when we learned that President Ghani had fled and that the Taliban were entering Kabul. We already had staff under Taliban control in our offices in Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad and Faizabad.”

“My heart breaks in particular for the millions of Afghan girls who are denied their right to education, and the many Afghan women full of talent who are being told to stay at home instead of using those talents to rebuild a society that now experiences far less conflict but in some ways as much fear as before.”

We were greatly relieved that there had been no loss of life among UN staff and indeed the Taliban honoured their commitment as the new de facto authorities to ensure their safety.

“As I reflect on my over two years leading UNAMA in Afghanistan I am convinced that UNAMA’s presence is necessary for at least three reasons. “

“First, we have a historical legacy. The United Nations has had a political, human rights, humanitarian, and development presence in Afghanistan since the late 1980s. We have had some successes and some failures and as a result of the latter we have a moral responsibility to remain. Second, we need to address the needs of the most vulnerable Afghans through humanitarian assistance and support to their basic human needs.”

“Third, Afghanistan is too important to the international community to be forgotten. “

“UNAMA will remain as a credible observer and reporter on events on the ground and a reliable link between the Afghan people, the de facto authorities, and the international community.”

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