KABUL, MAR 16: The Islamic Emirate, welcoming the extension of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) mandate, has called on UNAMA to pursue its mission based on the interests of Afghan citizens.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews that the body should prepare and present reports on the current realities of Afghanistan.
Mujahid said, “UNAMA’s mission should encompass all issues that connect both the United Nations community and the people of Afghanistan, and must also consider the realities of Afghanistan in its mission.”
Some global institutions have also asked UNAMA to prioritize the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan in its agenda.
Amnesty International, welcoming the extension of the UNAMA mission, urged Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the mission, to prioritize the human rights emergency in the country with a focus on the rights of women, girls and minorities, as well as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Amnesty International said: “UNAMA must continue its public, robust, and frequent human rights reporting, while maintaining pressure on the Taliban to reverse all edicts that suffocate the rights of women and girls.”
Tariq Farhadi, a political affairs expert, regarding the extension of UNAMA’s mission, said: “There are two things that UNAMA cannot provide for us; the reopening of girls’ schools and the constitution, this is the responsibility of the caretaker government that has promised it, and it must be actively realized.”
Human Rights Watch also said that action must be taken to protect and secure human rights in Afghanistan.
Heather Barr, the Associate Director of Human Rights Watch, told TOLOnews, “It is excellent news that UNAMA’s mandate has been renewed for a full 12 months, and it is important that this happened unanimously because it signals that there is still international consensus about the concerns about Taliban’s abuses in Afghanistan. The work that the human rights unit within UNAMA does monitoring the human rights situation is absolutely essential as the situation continues to worsen.”
Prior to the extension of UNAMA’s mission, the Islamic Emirate stated that the body had not reflected the realities in Afghanistan and must present its reports impartially.
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