Permanent Mission of India
New York

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UNAMA

Statement by Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Permanent Representative
23 June 2025

Madam President,

I thank SRSG and Head of UNAMA Ms. Roza Otunbayeva for her briefing today. Our delegation also notes the comments made by ASG Joyce Msuya and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

India and Afghanistan share a special relationship rooted in civilizational and historical ties. This enduring bond forms the foundation of our close engagement with the Afghan people and shapes our broader approach towards Afghanistan.

We believe that international and regional consensus and cooperation on key issues concerning Afghanistan are essential. Accordingly, India is actively engaging with the regional and international parties to promote peace, stability and development in the country.

Our participation in the UN meetings in Doha and other regional forums reflect our ongoing efforts in this direction. India has also been an active participant in the two UNAMA Working Groups on counter narcotics and enabling private sector in Afghanistan and we look forward to participating in the upcoming round of these meetings scheduled later this month in Doha, Qatar.

In May this year, the External Affairs Minister of India spoke with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi. During the exchange, the External Affairs Minister welcomed the strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack by the Afghan side. He also reaffirmed the traditional friendship between India and the Afghan people and reiterated India’s continued support for their development needs

India’s immediate priorities in Afghanistan include providing humanitarian assistance and implementing capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people. We have been working with various UN agencies to support the Afghan people in areas of health, food security, education and sports. Since 2021, India has supplied around 50,000 MTs of wheat, more than 330 MTs of medicines and vaccines, 40,000 liters of pesticide Malathion and 58.6 MTs of other social support items, including winter jackets, toys and stationery items for school children and earthquake relief material, to Afghanistan.

In partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), we have supplied 84 MTs of assistance, including 11,000 units of female hygiene kits, baby food, blankets, clothing and medicines and 32 MTs of social support items for Afghan drug rehabilitation programs, particularly those aimed at women.

In the field of education, India continues to offer scholarship and fellowship schemes for Afghan students. Since 2023, we have provided scholarships for Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses to 2000 Afghan students. Notably, nearly 600 Afghan girls and women have availed of these scholarships.

In conclusion, I would like to underline India’s historic ties with the people of Afghanistan and our enduring commitment to addressing their needs. At the same time, we remain committed to continued close engagement with all relevant stakeholders and support the international community’s efforts towards a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.

Thank you Madam President

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