Nasir Ahmad Faiq, acting head of Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, says the political role of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is essential to helping create the necessary conditions for a political solution in the country.
Faiq said in a statement delivered at the UN Security Council on Thursday, September 17, that he welcomed the extension of UNAMA’s mandate and looked forward to a strategic review of the mission’s mandate.
He added that UNAMA’s humanitarian and human rights roles are important, but its political role is equally essential.
Faiq called on the Security Council and the international community to adopt a coordinated international approach toward Afghanistan.
He also identified supporting the rights and meaningful participation of women and girls, as well as backing a genuine Afghan-led political process, as priorities for the international community.
According to Faiq, continued attention to terrorism, human rights and accountability, along with the continuation of humanitarian assistance and support for vulnerable people, should also remain priorities.
Faiq said the people of Afghanistan are not asking the international community to choose their leaders for them, but rather to have the right to choose their own future.
