NEW YORK (SW) – The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, on Tuesday briefed the Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan.
Yamamoto highlighted key developments around peace efforts, upcoming elections, human rights, women’s empowerment and the humanitarian situation. He spoke about the harsh realities of life for many Afghans and the human cost of the war which continues to inflict a devastating toll on civilians.
The envoy, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), reiterated the importance of intra-Afghan talks in any peace process.
He said Between 8 February and 9 May 2019, the United Nations recorded a total of 5,249 security-related incidents, a 7 per cent decrease compared with the same period in 2018. The southern region saw the highest number of incidents, followed by the eastern and western regions; together those regions accounted for 71 per cent of all incidents.
Yamamoto said the political environment remains fluid, as developments accelerated in both the peace and electoral processes. He said President Ashraf Ghani made a series of senior security appointments during the reporting period, including two deputy ministers for defence, provincial chiefs of police in 17 provinces and three new deputies in the Office of the National Security Council. While the President stated that those appointments aimed at advancing his reform agenda, opposition figures expressed concerns about the perceived politicization of the security sector ahead of the presidential elections.
He added domestic and international actors continue their efforts towards a negotiated peace settlement.
ENDS
