The top UN envoy for Afghanistan on Monday underscored the need for realistic engagement with the country as humanitarian and human rights crises deepen amid growing international isolation.
Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, warned that political engagement with the Taliban has yielded little progress, while frustration among international stakeholders is growing.
“The space for engagement is narrowing,” she said, adding that some governments now question whether dialogue with the Taliban may be strengthening hardliners.
At the same time, budgetary constraints, shifting global priorities and growing introspection on the part of some nations risk leaving Afghanistan “poorer, more vulnerable and more isolated,” she warned.
“This is an avoidable outcome, but only if all stakeholders recognize the risk and seek actively to avoid it, particularly the de facto authorities,” she said.
“The most helpful development would be a clear signal from the de facto authorities that they are committed to the reintegration of Afghanistan with the international community with all that it implies. This is a moment for realism.”
