UNSC extends Afghanistan sanctions monitoring mandate for 1 year

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has extended for one year the mandate of the team responsible for monitoring the Council’s sanctions against Afghanistan.

According to the United Nations, the Security Council renewed the mandate for 12 months, effective from the expiration of its current term this month.

The monitoring team assists the Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, which was initially established under Resolution 1988 (2011).

Following the adoption of the resolution, several Council members delivered statements outlining their positions.

The United States representative underscored the importance of the monitoring team’s work, highlighting its role in providing essential analysis and enhancing the Council’s understanding of developments in Afghanistan, particularly regarding human rights and the situation of women and girls.

Tammy Bruce, Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to end what Washington describes as the “use of hostages as a tool of pressure.”

Fu Cong, China’s representative to the United Nations, stated that, as a first step, permanent exemptions to the travel ban for officials associated with the Afghan government should be reinstated as soon as possible to facilitate international engagement and communication.

He emphasized that Afghan territory must not be used to support terrorism or threaten the security of other countries, adding that the Afghan authorities must work to eliminate “terrorist forces” operating within the country.

At the same time, he stressed that the monitoring team should remain neutral and take into account the views of the Security Council and all UN member states.

He further noted that the Council should move toward reviewing and adjusting the sanctions regime to better align it with current realities.

Anna Evstigneeva, Deputy Representative of Russia, said the resolution’s text is “significantly overloaded with content that is not directly related to the implementation of the 1988 sanctions regime.”

She warned that efforts by some delegations to shift the focus toward the human rights situation in Afghanistan could prove counterproductive and distract the monitoring team from its core mandate.

Afghan government officials have not yet commented on the extension. However, Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the IEA, has previously described sanctions as a “failed and ineffective approach,” urging the United Nations to lift them in order to facilitate Afghanistan’s engagement with the international community and the UN.

sa