Seven months after fall of Kabul, UN formalizes ties with Taliban

UNITED NATIONS: Seven months after the fall of Kabul, UN established formal ties with Taliban led Afghanistan

UN Security Council approved a resolution that does not use the word Taliban and spells out the new one-year mandate of the UN political mission in Afghanistan, which it said was “crucial” to peace in the country.

The vote was 14 in favor, with one abstention, by Russia.

The resolution includes several strands of cooperation, on the humanitarian, political, and human rights fronts, including those of women, children, and journalists.

“This new mandate for UNAMA (the UN mission to Afghanistan) is crucial not only to respond to the immediate humanitarian and economic crisis but also to reach our overarching goal of peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Norwegian UN ambassador Mona Juul, whose country drafted the resolution, told a news agency.
“The Council gives a clear message with this new mandate: UNAMA has a crucial role to play in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan and to support the Afghan people as they face unprecedented challenges and uncertainty,” Juul said.