Afghanistan: Press statemement by Tomas Niklasson, EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan

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Afghanistan: Press statemement by Tomas Niklasson, EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan

09.05.2023 Press and information team of the Delegation to Afghanistan

The following press statement has been published at the end of visit to Afghanistan by Tomas Niklasson, EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan, of 4-9 May 2023.

© European Union, 2023

Today I conclude my five day visit together with my Political Advisor Ms Jennie Gren, kindly hosted and accompanied by Ms Raffaella Iodice, the EU Chief of Mission to Afghanistan, and her team. I would like to thank everybody who took the time to see us and share their experiences and perspectives on the current situation, its causes and prospects for the future. During our visit we met, among others, with:

• Representatives of UNAMA, UN agencies and the diplomatic community
• The acting Director of the General Directorate for Intelligence (GDI), the acting Deputy Minister of Public Health and the acting Director of the Afghan Food and Drug Authority, as well as officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Representatives of civil society and of ethnic minorities
• Human rights activists
• Former President Karzai and political figures

1. I arrived in Kabul from Doha after having attended the 1-2 May meeting of Special Representatives and Special Envoys for Afghanistan from more than 20 countries, as well as the EU and the OIC, chaired by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The meeting was a welcome initiative by the UN to once more put Afghanistan in focus. In the discussions, there was a consistent view that the conditions were not in place to allow for recognition by the international community of the de facto authorities as a legitimate government, but that engagement with the de facto authorities and other Afghans must continueto address shared concerns - including security and counter-terrorism, the need for inclusive governance, upholding human rights, preventingirregular migration and human trafficking, countering narcotics productionand smuggling, and stabilising the Afghan economy. The important role of Afghanistan's immediate neighbours was also discussed. Our meeting was held shortly after the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 2681 co-sponsored by 91 UN Member States, recalling key concerns about the situation in Afghanistan, many as a consequence of decisions taken by the de facto authorities. My interventions in the meeting were guided by the Conclusions on Afghanistan adopted by the EU Foreign Ministers on 20 March 2023.

2. Regretfully, the ban of last December on Afghan women working for NGOs is still in place. This challenges fundamental principles and has immediate consequences, as critical assistance delivered by such organisations cannot reach women and children in need. Furthermore, Afghan girls and women are still prevented from attending secondary school or university due to decisions taken by the de facto authorities, while a very large number of Afghan boys can also not access primary or other forms of education due to lack of availability or opportunity. This has an immediate impact on the children and young women affected and deprives Afghanistan from benefitting fully from its talented people to rebuild and develop the country. While the lack of education infrastructure or other resources in parts of the country may require time to address, opening up secondary schools and universities, where available, also for girls would be an important step forward, and help convince young Afghans and Afghan families with children, that their country is offering them a future.

3. Since our last visit to Afghanistan in March this year, the de facto authorities have also banned Afghan women from working for the UN, which creates challenging obstacles for UNAMA to deliver fully on its important mandate, and for UN agencies to deliver essential assistance and services to Afghans in need across the country. This ban also violates several articles of the Charter of the UN - an organisation in which the de facto authorities aspire to take up Afghanistan's seat. I repeat the call on the de facto authorities that I have heard from many Afghans, and reflected in UNSCR 2681 and in statements by the EU and others to lift all these bans and restrictions, for the benefit of the country. Beyond these specific issues with wide-ranging consequences, many other aspects of the human rights situation remain deeply concerning, as documented not least in recent reports by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and by UNAMA.

4. Two months have passed since my latest visit to Afghanistan, but the humanitarian situation remains bleak, with more than 28 million vulnerable Afghans in need of humanitarian assistance. The UN humanitarian appeal for USD 4.6 billion, the largest in the world, has only received pledges to cover 7.2%, whereas to compare the four largest humanitarian appeals after Afghanistan have by now received pledges covering more than 20%.

5. From all Afghans we spoke to, but also from international partners, we hearda strong call on the EU to maintain its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan (while noting that, so far, no EU Member State has reopened its Embassy) and to engage in a constructive dialogue with the de facto authorities and a wide range of Afghan society, while continuing to provide humanitarian and other essential support to Afghans in need.

6. Many Afghans acknowledge the claim made by representatives of the de facto authorities that the war has ended and considered this to be an opportunity that should be seized to break the cycle of violence. In this context, I reiterate the EU's clear position not to provide support - political, material or otherwise - for Afghan armed resistance, while I also encourage the de facto authorities to offer an alternative, by engaging in dialogue with all parts of the population - men and women.

7. I welcome the so-called General Amnesty declared by the de facto authorities, but many credible reports and some of our interlocutors pointed to examples where this amnesty is not respected, which creates anxiety and fear, not least among former members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), delays opportunities for reconciliation, and undermines trust. It is, therefore, essential firmly to uphold the General Amnesty, including by ensuring accountability when it is breached, and regardless of who the victim, or the perpetrator, is.

8. While recognising and recalling significant challenges they are facing, and also explaining the serious psychological impact faced by girls and women who are banned from secondary or higher education or from working, many of our non-Taliban interlocutors expressed a strong commitment to their country, a genuine willingness to engage in dialogue with the de facto authorities and with other Afghans to find solutions to the many challenges Afghanistan is still facing, and a certain degree of hope. Perhaps such dialogue, with time, could pave the way for a greater involvement by Afghans, men and women from different ethnic and religious communities and with different political views, in the day-to-day governance of the country, and eventually for national reconciliation.

9. In our conversations with senior representatives of the de facto authorities, they reiterated their commitment that Afghan soil would not be used to threaten the security of other countries. They also confirmed, once more, their firm commitment to fight Da'esh (ISIS-KP), and many other Afghans recalled that in terms of security Ramadan had been much less challenging than in many years.

10. During this visit, we had limited opportunities to engage with the de facto authorities, as many acting Cabinet members were travelling to Kandahar or abroad. We, therefore, decided also to explore some key challenges for Afghanistan that we have not discussed in detail during previous missions. Putting an end to poppy cultivation following the ban issued by the de facto authorities last spring, constitutes a major challenge for Afghanistan, as it was also in the past. It will require substantial efforts to find alternative crops and livelihoods for farmers and to provide access to markets, domestically or abroad, for their products. Preventing the production and smuggling of narcotics from Afghanistan is also in the interest of neighbouring countries, Russia and Europe. Representatives of the de facto authorities underline both their commitment and the difficulties and call for assistance from abroad. While full implementation of the ban will take time, and the effects on markets in Europe will only show fully after some years (also due to significant stocks built up), there are already clear signs that serious efforts are being made to enforce the ban at least in parts of the country, which I welcome. Rehabilitating drug users, a related issue, is another major challenge and which is complicated even in countries better equipped than Afghanistan currently is. To better understand what this concretely means, we visited the Jangalak rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Kabul together with UNODC colleagues, and spoke to staff responsible, representatives from relevant ministries, and met with some of the patients. The EU is supporting Afghans' access to integrated, qualitative, and comprehensive drug use disorder and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services. People with drug use disorder have access to quality evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation services, including referral services. People with mental health conditions are supported through primary and secondary mental health services.

11. I also participated in a roundtable discussion on climate change in Afghanistan organised by the EU Delegation on 7 May. Afghanistan is one of the countries in the world most affected by climate change. This poses an enormous challenge to a country where only 4% of the area is used for agriculture, but where at the same time 61% of the population depend on the agricultural economy. Growing temperatures, unpredictable snow and rain patterns, and very limited water storage capacity create vulnerabilities, push people to migrate and sometimes lead to conflicts. The roundtable provided a timely opportunity to bring Afghan and international expertise around the table and to focus on an extremely serious issue - of global concern and with local consequences - but which does not often capture international headlines in stories about Afghanistan.