Remarks at the UN Security Council Debate on Afghanistan

AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you, Special Representative Haysom, for your update and for your hard work over recent months. Thank you, also, Ambassador Saikal for your comments this morning. UNAMA remains a critical asset for the Council and the Afghan government, and we look forward to ensuring its comprehensive range of support continues.

Today, I would like to briefly touch on three key areas: the ongoing toll on the civilian population; actions that must be taken to ensure economic and political progress; and the importance of the Council’s action to renew the mandate of UNAMA, which continues to play a critical role in guiding the government through this difficult period.

Special Representative Haysom, your briefing once again underscored the fact that this conflict continues to exact a significant toll on the civilian population. 2015 was especially difficult. With anti-government elements’ brutal tactics and use of indiscriminant violence pushing the number of civilian causalities to record-setting levels, hundreds of thousands of able-bodied citizens have fled the troubled nation to seek asylum elsewhere. We encourage the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces to continue to develop its operational capacity and do its best to limit civilian casualties.

As the Special Representative also noted, perhaps none have endured more suffering than the most vulnerable Afghans – children – who sadly comprised a significant number of last year’s casualties and who continue to be exploited by anti-government elements.

As the security of Afghanistan is so closely linked to the nation’s economic and political stability and progress, the international community must continue to provide its full support to the Afghan government to deliver on its ambitious reform agenda, led by President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah.

Governance and development remain critical elements for stability and progress; therefore, we encourage the Afghan government to continue to fill key leadership positions in government, follow through on its Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework reform commitments, and to make progress towards electoral reform. We welcome the recommendations announced by the Special Electoral Reform Commission as they represent an important step in strengthening public confidence in the electoral process and democratic institutions.

Mr. President, we continue to believe that outreach from the government to all major segments of society is critical as those who feel excluded are more likely to undermine the unity government and foster greater instability. Accordingly, we commend and strongly support the Afghan government’s efforts to foster a peace and reconciliation process with the Taliban and other armed groups.

Moreover, we welcome the support from regional partners to advance this Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiative and we will continue to work through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group to do our part to advance the peace process.

On the economic front, we welcome President Ghani’s efforts to increase regional connectivity. We also commend the government for significantly increased revenue collection in 2015. Slow economic growth remains a serious concern, and we encourage the government to take steps to improve the investment climate for both foreign and domestic businesses.

2016 is also a year where the international community will have the opportunity to renew security and development assistance for Afghanistan at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit in Warsaw in July, and the Brussels development ministerial in October. We encourage nations to sustain their commitments for financial and security assistance through the Transformation Decade.

I’d like to close with a few words about the importance of UNAMA. We agree with the Tripartite Review Commission’s assessment that Afghanistan continues to demand significant international assistance; it’s essential for the country to achieve political and economic stability and security.

UNAMA is representative of our common resolve to be Afghanistan’s partner. With the renewal of UNAMA’s mandate, this Council will once again demonstrate its collective commitment to Afghanistan and to the Afghan people.

Special Representative Haysom, we thank you again and reaffirm our support for your ongoing efforts to ensure UNAMA effectively discharges its mandate: exercising good offices, promoting human rights and the rule of law, coordinating humanitarian assistance and donor support, and countering narcotics.

In the face of tremendous obstacles, the Afghan government has made great strides toward its stated goals; however, there is much work to be done. The government’s continued focus on the tasks ahead remains imperative, and the international community must continue to buttress Afghanistan’s efforts with technical, financial, and moral support.

Thank you, Mr. President.