Representatives of Uzbekistan take part in a meeting on Afghanistan in Doha

The priorities of the parties are different, but the voiced problems are interrelated and must be addressed together, the head of the UN said at a press conference in Doha. Terrorism, human rights, especially of girls and women, drug smuggling - according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, prioritizing one of these problems does not mean that others are less important. 

He recalled that last week the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution in which it condemned the decision of the de facto Afghan authorities to ban female residents of the country from working in the UN.

“The atmosphere of unity that prevailed during the adoption of the resolution extended to our meeting,” Guterres said, speaking to the press after the consultations in Doha.   

The meeting, which the head of the UN convened to intensify international cooperation on Afghanistan, was attended by representatives of different countries of the world, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

In addition, it was attended by the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, and the recently appointed special coordinator for an independent assessment of the situation in that country, the former permanent representative of Turkey to the UN, Firidun Sinirlioglu.

The participants of the meeting, as António Guterres said, agreed that it is necessary to develop a common strategy that will allow stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and effectively solving the problems associated with this country.

“To achieve this goal, we must avoid disunity,” the UN chief warned. “Many spoke of the need for more effective cooperation and called for learning from past experiences”. 

The UN, as the Secretary General emphasized, will continue to unite countries in order to achieve progress for the people of Afghanistan, while complementing existing regional platforms and initiatives with its activities.

“After a series of consultations, I will be ready to call a new meeting on Afghanistan,” he added.

The head of the UN recalled that Afghanistan is currently experiencing the largest humanitarian crisis in the world - two-thirds of the population of this country, 28 million people, need emergency assistance this year. 97% of Afghans live below the poverty line. Six million people in the country are “one step away from starvation”. At the same time, according to Guterres, the UN received only 6.4% of the amount of $4.6 billion requested to help the Afghans this year.

“But funding is not the only problem,” he continued. “Most of our personnel who provide vital assistance in this country are Afghan citizens, and many of them are women. The ban imposed on the work of Afghan women in the UN and in international NGOs is unacceptable and endangers people’s lives”. 

He stressed that the United Nations will under no circumstances stand by in the face of “unprecedented, systemic attacks on the rights of girls and women”.

Answering a question about the possibility of meeting with representatives of the de facto authorities of Afghanistan, the Taliban movement, the Secretary General said: “When the time comes, I certainly will not refuse such an opportunity. But today that moment has not come”.