Saudi Arabia urges stronger global action to protect children in cyberspace at UN    911 emergency centers handle over 2.8 million calls in March    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Saudi Arabia posts SR49.8 billion travel surplus in 2024 as visitor spending hits SR153.6 billion    World leaders call Trump tariffs 'wrong' and 'unjustified'    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Anxiety in Afghanistan as Taliban struggles for legitimacy
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 18 - 11 - 2021

Despite a crisis of trust both within the country and abroad, three months after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, it is taking halting steps to pursue international legitimacy, a senior UN official in Kabul told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Deborah Lyons, UN Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said that despite an improvement in the security situation, Afghans feel abandoned by the international community and anxious about their new leadership.
"Ultimately, the Taliban must decide on whether to govern according to the needs and rights of the diverse Afghan population, or whether to rule on the basis of a narrow ideology and even narrower ethnic base", she stated.
Emphasizing that the Taliban are genuinely trying to present themselves as a government, the Special Representative said that they are constrained by a lack of resources and a political ideology that clashes with contemporary international norms of governance.
Moreover, the Taliban has neither earned the trust of most Afghans nor convinced the nationals of their capacity to govern.
Against that tenuous backdrop, Lyons stressed that the international community must remain engaged with Taliban leaders in order to shape a more positive future trajectory.
"To abandon the Afghan people now would be a historic mistake – a mistake that has been made before with tragic consequences", she warned.
Outlining her team's early interactions with the de facto Taliban administration, the Special Representative said engagements have been generally useful and constructive.
The de facto authorities have indicated that they want a UN presence and value its assistance.
They continue to seek international recognition as well as ways to overcome the trust deficit that they recognize exists between them and the international community.
The Taliban continue to provide security to UN staff and allow broad humanitarian access, including for women humanitarian workers, allowing access to parts of the country that had not been visited for 15 years.
"Be assured that we have not shied away from raising difficult issues with the Taliban, particularly on women's rights, girls' education and on reports ... of harassment and extra-judicial killings", underscored the UN official.
Lyons said that in general, the Taliban have recognized the international community's concerns – often acknowledging mistakes and trying to address them.
However, they also make clear that for now there are limits to the concessions they are willing to make on certain issues, including those relating to the rights and freedoms of women.
While the de facto authorities had initially assured the global community that they would protect women's rights within Islamic law – including the right to education – there has nevertheless been a general curtailment of their fundamental rights and freedoms.
From a woman's right to work, to their absence from major decision-making fora and senior echelons of the civil service, their limitations have become obvious.
And the Taliban authorities have indicated that they are working on a nationwide policy to govern girls' right to education.
Lyons told Council members that Afghans generally feel apprehensive over Taliban intentions.
Among their top concerns are the country's paralyzed economy, the inability to withdraw money and fears of not being able to feed themselves during the winter.
The UN has also received credible reports of house searches and extra-judicial killings of former Government security personnel and officials.
To date, the Taliban has proven its inability to stem the expansion of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant — Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP), where terrorist attacks have increased from 60 in 2020 to 334 so far this year.
In that context, Lyons called for the gradual establishment of constructive relations between Afghanistan and the world at large.
"The best way to promote stability and future international support is for the Taliban to avoid the isolation that characterized their previous experience in power", stressed the Special Representative. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.