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Statement by H.E. Mr. Naseer Faiq at the UN Security Council meeting on the Situation in Afghanistan
8 June 2026 – New York
Madam President,
At the outset, allow me to congratulate Colombia on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council and to wish you and your team every success this month.
We thank Ms. Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Ms. Edem, Wosomu, Director of Crisis Response Division for Humanitarian Affairs, for their sobering briefings, and Ms. Metra Mehran, Founder of Afghanistan Justice Archive, for bringing the voices of Afghan women into this Chamber. We also thank the Council members and previous speakers for their continued solidarity and support for the Afghan people.
Madam President,
Today, I want to share the perspective of ordinary people of Afghanistan - the deep concerns, frustrations, and aspirations they convey to us every day from inside the country.
Nearly five years after the Taliban’s military takeover, Afghanistan remains trapped in a deep political, economic, social, and human rights crisis. The facts are clear and well-documented. The real question before this Council is whether this situation is sustainable, and whether the international community is prepared to move beyond managing the consequences of the crisis toward addressing the root causes in the interest of the Afghan people and the international community.
Allow me to highlight five realities that cannot be ignored, and five suggestions or imperatives that should guide our collective response.
First: Afghanistan faces a profound human and social crisis.
Twenty-two million Afghans – two-thirds of the population – remain dependent on urgent humanitarian assistance. Poverty and unemployment are widespread, economic opportunities are shrinking, and an entire generation of young Afghans and women no longer see a future for themselves in their own country. The loss of human capital, deepening poverty, rising forced and early marriages, pscychological distress, and growing criminality are clear signs of a society breaking under the weight of exclusion and injustice.
The Imperative:
Afghanistan needs a national vision focused on job creation, standard and modern education, and human development. The country cannot move forward while excluding large segments of its population from contributing to its future. And most importantly, this vision requires a political horizon that leads to broad-based, legitimate and representative government that provides the foundation for long-term stability.
Second: and that in that context, The Taliban governance has failed the people of Afghanistan.
A model of governance designed by the Taliban and exclusively for the Taliban, has no accountability to the people it claims to govern. Corruption, the abuse of power, and the concentration of wealth within a narrow circle are well-documented. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s mineral wealth is extracted without transparency or public oversight. The Taliban have consistently ignored both the demands of the people of Afghanistan and the repeated appeals of the international community.
The Imperative:
Afghanistan needs a legitimate, accountable, and law-based system of governance that derives its authority from the consent of its people and uses national resources for the benefit of all citizens.
Third: Systematic exclusion and discrimination have pushed Afghanistan further into isolation.
This year marks the five consecutive years in which Afghan girls have been denied access to secondary and higher education. Women have been removed from public life, civil society spaces have been restricted, and independent media has been subjected to censorship. The Taliban have further codified this discrimination through laws that restrict accountability for domestic violence and permit child marriage under the guise of “silent consent.”
These are not temporary measures; these are deliberate and systematic efforts to exclude half of society from public life – an approach that has absolutly no basis in the true principles of Islam or in Afghanistan’s own history and traditions. We remain deeply concerned by continued and verified reports of arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, forced marriages, targeted reprisals, and other serious human rights violations, particularly against women and girls, human rights defenders, former security forces, and media personnel.
The Imperative:
Besides the UN, EU, and regional organizations, Islamic countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) must play a more active role in making clear to the Taliban that these draconian policies not only pose a threat to the future of Afghanistan but also harm the image of Islam worldwide. The re-opening of schools and universities to girls must remain a non-negotiable priority for the international community as a whole. Additionally, monitoring, reporting and ccountability mechanisms should be strengthened and used effectively to end the impunity.
Fourth: Normalizing the current situation serves neither the people of Afghanistan nor international peace and security.
Engagement without tangible results and concessions without behavioral change have not improved governance, human rights, or political inclusion. Normalizing systematic exclusion and political repression will not bring stability. Mixed messages and contradictory approaches have only prolonged the current impasse and emboldened the Taliban.
The Imperative:
The Security Council needs a stronger, more unified and coherent approach. The message must be clear and consistent: there is no path toward legitimacy or Afghanistan’s reintegration into the international community without full respect for human rights, women’s rights, inclusive governance, and international obligations.
Fifth: The rise of insecurity and the risk of Afghanistan again becoming a platform for extremism and terrorism.
The absence of war should not be mistaken for the presence of genuine peace. True peace exists when girls and boys have equal access to quality education, when women can participate fully and meaningfully in society, and when all citizens enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms without intimidation and prejudice and not forced to armed resistance. The targeted killings of members of the Shia and Hazara communities in public places, including the Injil district of Herat Province, alongside the unexplained deaths of civilians, hostage taking, and a female UN staff member, do not reflect genuine peace and security in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, the continued expansion of jihadi madrassas and the persistent presence of international terrorist groups, as confirmed by successive UN reports, raise serious concerns for the people of Afghanistan, the region, and the international community. The Taliban’s policies and continued links with terrorist groups have endangered the people of Afghanistan in the past and continue to do so today. But this also presents a threat to regional and international peace and security. And we hope this issue receives the attention it warrants by this Council.
The recent escalation of hostilities between Pakistan and the Taliban has added a dangerous new dimension to this crisis and resulted in significant civilian casualties. Particularly alarming was the reported strike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital in Kabul, a civilian medical facility, where UNAMA verified at least 269 people killed and 122 injured. We strongly condemn all attacks that result in civilian harm, the destruction of critical infrastructure, and violations of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity. We ask this Council to condemn and prevent such attacks. No security concern, however legitimate, can justify actions that place civilians at risk or undermine the principles of the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law.
Afghanistan has long been a victim of terrorism, and its people have suffered immensely from its devastating consequences. We therefore also strongly condemn all terrorist attacks in Pakistan and elsewhere and reaffirm the need for collective efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations everywhere.
The Imperative:
The international community and regional countries must adopt a comprehensive, coordinated, and principled strategy to address terrorism, violent extremism, and narcotics trafficking. Such threats can only be addressed sustainably through the establishment of a legitimate, inclusive, representative, and accountable government that is committed to upholding its national and international obligations and ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a source of instability and insecurity for its people, the region, or the wider world.
Madam President,
All of these realities point to one unavoidable conclusion: at its core, Afghanistan’s crisis remains a complex political crisis. Humanitarian and economic assistance remain essential to alleviating suffering, but they cannot substitute for a durable and sustainable political solution. Without a credible political process, we risk pushing Afghanistan towards a civil war. We continue to support the central role of the United Nations, the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2721, and efforts to advance a credible, inclusive, and Afghan-owned political process that leads to a legitimate, representative, and accountable political order.
In this regard, the role of UNAMA remains crucial in facilitating such a process in accordance to its mandate and ensuring the meaningful participation of all credible and relevant stakeholders. As negotiations on the renewal of UNAMA’s mandate continue, we reiterate our support for preserving a strong, balanced, and effective mandate. We also emphasize the importance of the timely appointment of a highly qualified Special Representative of the Secretary-General who possesses deep knowledge of Afghanistan, is firmly committed to impartiality, human rights, and conflict resolution, and is capable of advancing a comprehensive political process aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Madam President,
In conclusion, we call on the Security Council to maintain a strong, unified, and consistent position: there is no path to legitimacy, stability, or reintegration without respect for human rights, inclusive governance, and international law. Engagement with the Taliban should be principled and conditioned on measurable and verifiable progress. All stakeholders and especially Islamic countries and the OIC have a unique responsibility to make that message heard in Kabul. Accountability mechanisms should be used to end impunity. And effective action against terrorism and extremism ultimately requires a government in Afghanistan that is legitimate and accountable to its people and to the world.
The people of Afghanistan are not the cause of this crisis; they are its victims. They want a country where girls can go to school, where young people can look to the future with hope, where women can work and live freely, and where government derives its legitimacy from the will of its people. Helping them achieve that future should remain our shared responsibility. Thank you.
Statement on International Women's Day
8 March 2026 – New York
On this International Women’s Day, we stand in solemn solidarity with the women and girls of Afghanistan, whose fundamental rights to education, to work, to freedom of movement, and to public life, have been systematically stripped away.
Since August 2021, the Taliban regime has imposed what amounts to gender apartheid: banning girls from secondary and higher education, excluding women from most forms of employment, and silencing their voices in every sphere of public life. These acts are neither Islamic nor cultural, they are grave violations of international human rights law and stand in stark contrast with Islamic values.
UN Member States and leadership have repeatedly reaffirmed that the rights of Afghan women are non-negotiable. They have called for the immediate and unconditional reversal of all discriminatory decrees, and for those responsible to be held accountable. A society that erases half its population cannot build lasting peace or prosperity.
The women of Afghanistan have not been silenced. They resist, they persist, and they deserve the world’s unwavering support, not only today, but every day.
Statement at the Security Council Meeting on the Situation in Afghanistan
9 March 2026 – New York
Mr. President,
Let me begin by congratulating you on assuming the Presidency of the Council and for your leadership during the month of March. I also thank you for convening this important meeting on the situation in Afghanistan. We also appreciate the strong joint press stakeout statement issued prior to this meeting. I’m grateful to Ms. Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge of UNAMA, for her detailed briefing. I thank the previous speakers for reaffirming their support for the people of Afghanistan, particularly women and girls.
Madam President,
Yesterday marked International Women’s Day, an important moment to reflect on the challenges faced by millions of women around the world. I wish to pay tribute to the courage and determination of all women, especially the women of Afghanistan, who are engaged in a historic struggle for freedom, justice and lasting peace. The most meaningful way to honor their commitment and sacrifice is to support their efforts to reclaim their rightful place in society and in the international community…Read more.
Statement at the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70)
16 March 2026 – New York
Madam Chair,
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
We wish to draw the attention of this Commission to an issue that lies at the very heart of its mandate: confronting systems of discrimination that deny women and girls access to justice, protection, and equal participation in public life.
For Afghanistan, the priority theme of this session is not theoretical. Today, Afghan women and girls are living under one of the most severe systems of institutionalized gender discrimination in the world. What we are witnessing is not merely restricted access to rights. It is the systematic dismantling of those rights.
As documented by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, women and girls are subjected to an institutionalized system of genderbased discrimination, oppression, and domination that may amount to crimes against humanity. Institutions that should safeguard justice have instead been transformed into instruments of repression.
Madam Chair,
Access to justice cannot exist where the legal system itself is weaponized. Since 2021, constitutional protections have been suspended, the legal framework dismantled, and the Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women abolished.
Women judges and prosecutors have been removed from the justice system, and statutory law has increasingly been replaced by decrees rooted in ideological control. Recent legal developments, including newly introduced penal and criminal procedure codes, further institutionalize discriminatory hierarchies and weaken due process guarantees, undermining equality before the law.
Women who attempt to seek justice frequently face dismissal of complaints, forced mediation, intimidation, and retaliation. Shelters for survivors of gender-based violence have been closed, and credible reports continue to document torture and illtreatment of women detainees. In such conditions, the denial of justice is not incidental, it is systemic.
Madam Chair,
The erosion of justice cannot be separated from the broader erosion of women’s rights. The ban on education beyond grade six has deprived more than 2.2 million girls of their right to learn. Restrictions on employment, mobility, and public participation have rendered women economically marginalized and socially isolated.
The Special Rapporteur’s recent report on women’s right to health further demonstrates how these restrictions undermine access to life-saving healthcare, including maternal and reproductive services, with profound consequences for women’s physical and mental wellbeing. When a woman cannot travel without a mahram, cannot consult a lawyer, cannot safely report violence, and cannot seek healthcare without fear, justice is structurally denied.
Madam Chair,
The international community must also confront the legal characterization of what is occurring. The Working Group on discrimination against women and girls has called upon States to consider recognizing gender apartheid within the framework of crimes against humanity. The Special Rapporteur has likewise characterized Taliban policies as gender persecution and supported the recognition of gender apartheid as an international crime. Naming this system is not rhetorical, it is essential for accountability.
Madam Chair,
Encouragingly, important accountability pathways are beginning to emerge. The establishment of an independent investigative mechanism for Afghanistan represents an important step toward preserving evidence and supporting future criminal proceedings. This mechanism complements ongoing work by the International Criminal Court and other accountability processes and must be fully resourced and operationalized.
Afghan women, legal experts, and civil society actors are also documenting decrees, judicial decisions, and survivor testimonies to meet international evidentiary standards. Their work is vital to ensuring that these violations are neither forgotten nor normalized.
Madam Chair,
A victim-centered and survivor-informed approach must remain at the core of this Commission’s work. Afghan women consistently remind us that justice is not limited to courtroom proceedings. Justice also means safety, dignity, recognition of harm, economic autonomy, access to healthcare, and meaningful participation in shaping their country’s future.
The review theme of this session, women’s full and effective participation in public life and the elimination of violence, cannot be realized while women are excluded from governance, silenced in public discourse, and punished for non-compliance with discriminatory edicts.
Madam Chair,
We therefore call on Member States to:
- Reject the normalization of systemic gender persecution;
- Support efforts to recognize gender apartheid within international law;
- Strengthen and adequately resource accountability mechanisms, including the independent investigative mechanism;
- Sustain support for Afghan women human rights defenders, legal professionals, and civil society actors.
Ultimately, access to justice in Afghanistan will only be possible through a legitimate, responsible, and inclusive system of governance grounded in the rule of law and reflecting the will of the Afghan people. Justice delayed risks becoming injustice normalized.
We remain committed to working with Member States, UN mechanisms, and Afghan women in all their diversity to advance an approach that restores legality, equality, and dignity.
Thank you, Madam Chair.