NEW YORK, 17th March, 2023 (WAM) -- Today, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted two resolutions concerning the situation in Afghanistan tabled by the UAE and Japan.

The first resolution will extend the robust mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for an additional 12 months, enabling it to continue its work on promoting human rights, engagement with all Afghan stakeholders, and coordination of humanitarian assistance. The second resolution requests that an independent assessment be carried out regarding the international approach to Afghanistan.

Following both votes, and on behalf of the UAE and Japan, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, highlighted the critical importance of the resolutions. "At a time when the Afghan people are facing a set of profoundly difficult challenges, the Council has responded with a strong and unified message of unwavering support - Afghanistan, and in particular its women and its girls, will not be abandoned," Ambassador Nusseibeh said.

In their capacities as co-penholders on the Afghanistan file, the UAE and Japan facilitated negotiations on the Council products. The co-penholders expressed deep appreciation for the constructive and valuable engagement of Security Council Members. "We are grateful for the spirit of cooperation and the sense of responsibility demonstrated throughout the negotiation process, and we believe it will continue to be necessary if we are to live up to our commitment to Afghanistan and to its people," Ambassador Nusseibeh said on behalf of both countries. "The work truly begins now."

Following the adoptions, the UAE and Japan also jointly convened a media stakeout with the UN press corps, during which Ambassador Nusseibeh and Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro of Japan highlighted that the status quo in Afghanistan is not sustainable. "By requesting this independent assessment, the Council is taking a careful and measured response to a difficult crisis with outside expertise and fresh thinking and essentially saying that a business-as-usual approach is not sufficient for Afghanistan."