UN envoy asks int'l engagement with Afghanistan continue amid political crisis

18/9/2025 7:37

The outgoing top UN envoy in Afghanistan on Wednesday called for the international community's continued engagement with the war-torn country.



"As I prepare to leave Afghanistan in a few days, I am certain that most Afghans want engagement between the international community and their country to continue, despite the obstacles," said Roza Otunbayeva, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan.



"It is my fervent hope that a pathway can be agreed for this engagement to continue and for it to begin yielding more positive results, especially for women and girls in Afghanistan," she told the Security Council in her last briefing as special representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.



It is an open question whether there is sufficient pragmatism among the Taliban, as the de facto authorities, to manage this perfect storm of crises facing Afghanistan, or whether decisions driven by ideology will prevent sustainable solutions, extending the Afghans' suffering and undermining existing stability, she said.