Archie Young, Deputy Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, called for an immediate end to the Taliban’s discriminatory policies against women, girls, and religious minorities during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. He stressed that the UK condemns the Taliban’s continued human rights violations and considers this approach unacceptable. At the same meeting, Afghanistan’s representative to the UN urged the Taliban to engage constructively and in good faith with the Doha process led by the United Nations. The UK has previously criticised the Taliban’s restrictions on education and employment for women and girls on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, Georgette Gagnon, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), warned that while the current situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule appears calm on the surface, the country’s political and social future remains uncertain. She said the Taliban have consolidated administrative and territorial control across the country and currently face no serious political or military challenges. However, according to Gagnon, Afghanistan’s future depends on how the Taliban manage the gap between their rigid ideological policies and the pragmatic approaches that have so far helped maintain their rule. And added that what is now clearly visible is the Taliban’s increasing power and dominance, but there is still no clear vision of Afghanistan’s future or the path ahead for the country.
