Afghan officers attend a ceremony in front of the Freedom Minaret on August 19, 2023 to celebrate the country’s Independence Day (European)

For decades, the relationship between the United Nations and Afghanistan has never been marginal;

Rather, it ranged from an Afghan presidency of the General Assembly to an almost complete estrangement, through to accusations, disputes, and demands.

Perhaps it is ironic that Afghanistan is one of the first member states of the United Nations, as it joined it on November 19, 1946, and its representative to the international organization, Ambassador Abdul Rahman Bajwak, assumed the presidency of the General Assembly in its 1966 and 1967 sessions.

Afghan Ambassador Abdul Rahman Bajwak assumed the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly in its 1966 and 1967 sessions (Getty)

The United Nations condemned the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, and the UN’s activity in Afghanistan continued through its mission in the capital, Kabul, and it also provided relief services to Afghan immigrants in Pakistan.

On the political level, the United Nations, through its Special Representative Diego Cordoez, mediated the signing of the Geneva Convention in April 1988, which provided cover for the withdrawal of Soviet forces on February 15, 1989.

Years of internal conflict

Before the fall of the pro-Soviet People's Democratic Party government on April 28, 1992, the International Organization's special envoy to Afghanistan, Benon Sevan, made efforts to ensure the transfer of power to an interim government, but the rapid collapse of President Najibullah's government and the entry of Afghan mujahideen factions into Kabul led to Failure of those efforts.

Later, the Taliban movement appeared in 1994, before taking control in September 1996. However, the United Nations did not recognize the Taliban government, nor did it hand over the seat of Afghanistan to it, although it continued its activity in the country through its mission in Kabul and its affiliated institutions. Especially in the areas of relief and health services.

American invasion

Following the events of September 11, 2011, US President George W. Bush at the time decided to invade Afghanistan, and on October 7, American and British forces bombed Taliban positions in Kabul, Kandahar, and elsewhere, until the Taliban government was overthrown on December 17. The first 2001.

Observers believe that the United Nations provided political cover for the invasion of Afghanistan by the coalition forces and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) led by the United States of America.

The Bonn Agreement was signed on December 5, 2001, in the presence of the United Nations Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi.

The interim administration was formed, headed by Hamid Karzai, and the agreement also stipulated the formation of an international force from NATO called the Security Support Forces (ISAF), which - along with American forces - took over the fight against the Taliban under the pretext of combating terrorism.

Later, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan was expanded under the name “United Nations Mission to Support Afghanistan” (UNAMA), which became an umbrella for the political activities of the United Nations in Afghanistan, and most of what the United States and its allies wanted to implement in Afghanistan was passed through “UNAMA.” This made the United Nations directly confront the Taliban.

Here, a leader in the Taliban movement who requested to remain anonymous says: The United Nations was supportive of the American war on Afghanistan during its 20 years.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the leader accuses the United Nations of "providing international legitimacy to commit injustices against our people with a false justification called combating terrorism."

The Taliban returns to power

After the Taliban movement returned to power on August 15, 2021, and although the caretaker government - which the United Nations calls in its documents “de facto authority” - did not obtain international recognition, the work of the United Nations continues in Afghanistan through “UNAMA” and others. From international bodies and institutions.

The United Nations is dealing with the Taliban government without recognizing it, and therefore has not granted it a seat in the organization’s annual meetings since 2021, as the international organization has not yet accepted the caretaker government’s nominee, Muhammad Suhail Shaheen, as delegate to Afghanistan.

The irony is that the one who currently represents Afghanistan as Chargé d'Affairs at the United Nations is a member of the mission affiliated with the former regime, which does not exist on the ground.

Mutual claims and accusations

There is no doubt that this position on the part of the United Nations is one of the reasons for the tension between it and the caretaker government in Kabul.

While the government believes that this nomination is its right, the United Nations requires that the caretaker government obtain official recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan in order to occupy this international seat.

In the face of the Taliban’s insistence and repeated requests to recognize its government and accept it as a member of the United Nations, the United Nations calls on the Taliban to uphold human rights and lift restrictions on women’s education and work. It also demands the formation of an expanded government in which elements from outside the Taliban participate.

UN officials also express their concerns about the presence of groups in Afghanistan that they describe as "terrorist."

On the other hand, the Taliban government reiterates its position on the demands of the United Nations that “the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan respects human rights, does not violate them, and that Afghan women enjoy their full rights in accordance with Islamic law.”

The Taliban also confirms that the caretaker government formed by the movement is “expanded and includes all components of the people,” stressing that states and international organizations must stop interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, and not dictate the type and methods of the government system.

The official spokesman for the caretaker government, Zabihullah Mujahid, accuses the United Nations mission in Afghanistan of raising fears among Afghan women and accusing it of spreading rumours.

The caretaker government also rejects any external conditions on the quality of the government system. Mujahid says, "We have met all the conditions for international recognition, and we will not accept the model proposed by other countries for the quality of the government system in Afghanistan."

Officials in the Taliban government reiterate on various occasions that Afghanistan today does not pose a threat to the security of any other country, and that the most prominent armed group - namely ISIS - has suffered a major defeat in Afghanistan, indicating that talk about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan is “merely tendentious propaganda.” “The intention is to promote and amplify these groups.”

A photo published by the Qatari Foreign Ministry from the second meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan in Doha under the auspices of the United Nations (Qatari Foreign Ministry)

The Taliban is absent

As part of the United Nations’ declared efforts to engage in dialogue with what it describes as “the de facto authority in Afghanistan” in order to integrate it into the international community, the international organization held numerous meetings to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, the most recent of which was the meeting called for by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Doha on February 18 and 19. This February, it was attended by representatives of 26 countries, and the caretaker government was invited to it, but it refused to participate, stipulating that it be the only Afghan party.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “We made clear to the United Nations that the participation of the Islamic Emirate, as the sole responsible party on behalf of the Afghan people, could help provide an opportunity for clear discussions on all issues, at a high level, between the Afghan delegation and the United Nations.”

The Afghan Foreign Ministry’s statement indicates its requirement that a delegation from civil society and representatives of Afghan women not participate in the Doha meeting, which the United Nations considered - in the words of its Secretary-General - to prevent the right of the United Nations to speak with other representatives of Afghan society, considering that the Taliban government’s requests “are similar to... "To a great extent recognition."

The Taliban rejects a UN representative

The United Nations is seeking to appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan based on the recommendation of the organization’s special coordinator, Feridun Sinirlioglu, who proposed - in his independent assessment of the Afghan situation - “the appointment of a special envoy for Afghanistan whose mission is to focus on diplomacy between Afghanistan and international stakeholders, as well as on strengthening intra-Afghan dialogue.” .

The Security Council took up this recommendation in its Resolution No. 2721, and last December it called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to appoint a new envoy.

On the other hand, the government in Kabul refuses to appoint a new representative of the United Nations in light of the organization’s mission in the country.

The acting Foreign Minister in the caretaker government, Mawlawi Amir Khan Mottaki, confirmed this position in a meeting with the Chargé d'Affaires of the British Embassy in Afghanistan, Robert Dixon.

Observers believe that the reason the Taliban refused to appoint another UN envoy is because it opens the door to the international organization dealing with other Afghan parties, which weakens the position of the Taliban, which considers itself the only party that must be dealt with in Afghanistan.

Other observers believe that the Taliban do not want to appoint a new UN envoy because this may lead to the internationalization of the Afghan issue and the expansion of foreign hands to interfere in Afghan affairs.

Afghan political activist Muhammad Azim Abromand says that the UN special envoy cannot be imagined as one person, "but rather he is an entire apparatus within Afghanistan."

He adds that Taliban advisors know very well that accepting a UN representative may reduce the authority of the political movement at the national level, because the UN Special Representative will conduct contacts and meetings with figures and parties at home and abroad, and this will lead to expanding his influence, which the Taliban does not want.

The future of relations between the United Nations and the Taliban

The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold a special session to discuss the situation in Afghanistan soon, with the participation of the UN Secretary-General, to discuss the results of the Doha meeting.

For her part, the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rosa Otunbayeva, confirms that the United Nations will continue dialogue with the Taliban to encourage them to meet international demands in order for Afghanistan to return to its normal position within the international community.

She says the international community should benefit more from the willingness of “de facto authorities” to engage in dialogue.

The UN representative points out that dialogue does not confer legitimacy, but rather can be used to express objection and encourage change.

Observers believe that the relationship between the United Nations and the Taliban government will continue to fluctuate without reaching the point of estrangement between the two parties or recognition of the movement, at least in the foreseeable future.

Source: Al Jazeera