UN Security Council extends Afghan mission, calls for review

June 15 - The United Nations Security Council on Monday voted to extend the mandate of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for one year amid calls to streamline the operation and strong criticism of the country's Taliban rulers.

Afghanistan faces one of the world's most pressing humanitarian crises and since seizing power in Kabul in 2021, the Taliban has imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls in the war-shattered country, including limits on access to education, employment and sport, drawing widespread international criticism.

The 15-member council voted unanimously in favor of the extension in a text drafted by China, which calls on the U.N. secretary-general to conduct a strategic review of the mission and submit a report by the end of March next year.

China's U.N. ambassador Fu Cong said China hoped the Afghan government would, "take more proactive measures to protect human rights, especially the rights of women and project an image of openness, inclusivity and responsibility."

China and others also called for full access to U.N. workplaces for Afghan female staff barred by the Taliban from U.N. premises.

The U.S. representative to the meeting, Jennifer Locetta, welcomed the plan for a strategic review and stressed the need for a "streamlined, fit-for-purpose" UNAMA mandate.

She said the Taliban must meet its counterterrorism commitments, respect human rights and end "hostage diplomacy",  a reference to the detention of Americans in the country.

Russia's representative, Anna Evstigneeva, said Moscow had accepted the idea of a strategic review but it must be done in coordination with Afghan authorities and focused on humanitarian and development needs, not on exercising oversight in the interest of Western states.

In a previous vote in March, the U.N. Security Council extended the UNAMA mandate for a shorter-than-usual three-month period after Washington called for a review of assistance, citing Taliban obstruction, its use of "hostage diplomacy" by detaining innocent Americans, and its restrictions on women's rights. REUTERS