The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, on Tuesday, June 22, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the country.
Ms. Lyons called on the parties to the conflict to move away from the battlefield and return to the stalled peace process, as she cautioned against any efforts, now or in the future, to install a militarily imposed government as being against the will of the Afghan people, regional countries and the broader international community.
She also called on the Security Council, with the support of regional countries, to push the conflicting parties back to the negotiating table.
“We will use our full diplomatic, economic and assistance toolkit to support the peaceful, stable future the Afghan people want and deserve and will continue to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in securing their country,” she told the Security Council.
The U.N. envoy highlighted the current major trends negatively impacting the country—politics, security, the peace process, the economy, the humanitarian emergency, and COVID. “All of these trends are negative or stagnate.”
“The slide towards some dire scenarios is undeniable,” she said.
The envoy, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), reiterated the gravity of what is happening in Afghanistan, whose consequences have a global reach.
“What happens in Afghanistan remains of global consequence, and the Security Council needs to be fully informed of the gravity of the situation.”
The Special Representative for Afghanistan also appealed to all member states to contribute generously to the humanitarian response plan, to support the ongoing development and humanitarian needs of the state.
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