UNSC Briefing on Afghanistan

(29 August 2022; 1500 hrs.)

Statement by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj

Permanent Representative of India to the UN

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Mr. President,

    Allow me to thank the delegation of Russia for requesting this meeting today, this provides us with an opportunity to take stock of the situation prevailing in Afghanistan. Let me also thank the briefers for their presentations. 

2.    As we have repeatedly stated at the Security Council, India has direct stakes in ensuring the return of peace and stability, given our position as a contiguous neighbour and long-standing partner of Afghanistan, as well as our strong historical and civilizational linkages to the Afghan people. 

3.    In response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as well as to the urgent appeals made by the United Nations, India has dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. These include 32 tons of medical assistance in ten batches, which includes essential life saving medicines, anti-TB medicines and 500,000 doses of the COVID vaccine. These medical consignments have been handed over to the World Health Organization and the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul. India has also dispatched over 40,000 MTs of wheat to Afghanistan so far. To ensure fair and just distribution of India’s wheat assistance, the Government of India has signed an agreement with the UNWFP for the distribution of wheat within Afghanistan.

4.    In order to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people, an Indian technical team has also been deployed at our Embassy in Kabul.    

5.    Our approach to Afghanistan, as always, will be guided by our historical friendship and our special relationship with the people of Afghanistan. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to reiterate our firmly held conviction that humanitarian assistance should be based on the principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence. The disbursement of humanitarian aid should be non-discriminatory and accessible to all Afghans. In particular, assistance should reach the most vulnerable first, including women, children, and minorities.

Mr. President,

6.    India was the President of the Security Council last August when UNSC resolution 2593 was adopted. The Resolution set forth the expectations of  the international community in clear and objective terms. These included, ensuring that the territory of Afghanistan is not used to launch terrorist attacks against other countries; formation of a truly inclusive and representative government; combating terrorism and drug trafficking; and preserving the rights of women, children, and minorities. The same message has been reiterated in subsequent resolutions, including the most recently adopted Resolution 2626. With these benchmarks in mind, the present situation is indeed one of concern.

7.    On terrorism, the recent findings of the 1988 Sanctions Committee’s Analytical Support and the Sanctions Monitoring Team Report indicate that the current authorities need to take much stronger action to fulfill their anti-terrorism commitments. There is a significant increase in the presence of ISIL-K in the country and their capacity to carry out attacks. ISIL-K, with its base reportedly in Afghanistan, continues to issue threats of terrorist attacks on other countries. The series of attacks at religious places of the minority community, including the recent attack at the Sikh Gurudwara on June 18 in Kabul followed by another bomb explosion near the same Gurudwara on 27 July, is hugely alarming.  The linkages between groups listed by the UN Security Council such as the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed as well as provocative statements made by other terrorist groups operating out of Afghanistan pose a direct threat to the peace and stability of the region. We need to see concrete progress in ensuring that such proscribed terrorists, entities, or their aliases do not get any support, tacit or direct, either from Afghan soil or from the terror sanctuaries based in the region.

8.    On the political front, India continues to call for an inclusive dispensation in Afghanistan which represents all sections of Afghan society. A broad-based, inclusive, and representative formation is necessary for both domestic and international engagement.

9.    We also express our concern at developments in Afghanistan which directly impact the well-being of women and girls. We join others in calling for the protection of the rights of women and girls, and to ensure that the long-fought gains of the last two decades are not reversed. 

Mr. President, 

10.    Peace and security in Afghanistan are critical imperatives that all of us need to collectively strive for. India will continue to play its role towards the pursuit of that objective. The interests of the Afghan people will continue to be at the heart of our efforts in Afghanistan. 

I thank you.

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