Permanent Mission of India
New York
--
Explanation of Vote: UNGA Resolution on the Situation in Afghanistan

Statement by Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Permanent Representative
7 July 2025

Mr. President,

I would like to thank you for convening this meeting and thank Germany for their efforts.

India’s approach to Afghanistan – as its contiguous neighbour with deep historical and cultural ties – has always been guided by our longstanding friendship and special relationship with the Afghan people. As a long-standing partner, India has direct stakes in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Since the UNGA last considered this issue in November 2022, India has been actively engaging with regional and international stakeholders to promote peace, stability and development in Afghanistan. We believe that international and regional consensus and cooperation on key issues concerning Afghanistan are essential. Our participation in UN meetings in Doha and other regional forums reflects our ongoing efforts, including our recent participation in the meetings held in Doha last week.

India’s immediate priorities in Afghanistan include the provision of humanitarian assistance and the implementation of capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people. We have been working closely with UN agencies to support the Afghan people in critical areas such as health, food security, education and sports. India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s reconstruction is demonstrated through more than 500 development partnership projects across all provinces.

Since August 2021, India has supplied around 50,000 MTs of wheat, over 330 MTs of medicines and vaccines, 40,000 litres of the pesticide Malathion, and 58.6 MTs of other essential items, supporting millions of Afghans in dire need of humanitarian assistance. In partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), we have provided 84 MTs of assistance and medicines and 32 MTs of social support items for drug rehabilitation programmes in Afghanistan, particularly those focused on women. India also continues to offer scholarships and fellowships to Afghan students. Since 2023, we have provided scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate courses to 2,000 Afghan students, including nearly 600 girls and women.

Mr. President,

India is closely monitoring the security situation in Afghanistan. The international community must direct its coordinated efforts towards ensuring that entities & individuals designated by the UN Security Council, the Al Qaeda and their affiliates, ISIL and their affiliates, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, along with their regional sponsors who facilitate their operations, no longer exploit the Afghan territory for terrorist activities.

On the political front, India’s External Affairs Minister recently spoke with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan. We welcome the strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22, 2025, by the Afghan side. This conversation followed a meeting between India’s Foreign Secretary and the Acting Foreign Minister, where both sides discussed various bilateral issues and regional developments.

Mr. President,

Any coherent policy to address a post-conflict situation must combine a mix of policy instruments – incentivizing positive behaviour and disincentivizing harmful actions. An approach focused only on punitive measures, in our view, is unlikely to succeed. The United Nations and the broader international community have adopted more balanced and nuanced approaches in other post-conflict contexts. However, no new policy instruments have been introduced to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan since August 2021. A “business as usual” approach, without new and targeted initiatives, is unlikely to deliver the outcomes the international community envisions for the Afghan people.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate India’s historic ties with the people of Afghanistan and our enduring commitment to meeting their humanitarian and developmental needs. While we remain committed to continued engagement with all relevant stakeholders and broadly support the international community’s efforts towards a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan, India has decided to abstain on this resolution.

Thank you.

***