Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the UNSC debate on United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the UNSC debate on United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
(March 15, 2016)
Mr. President,
We express our gratitude to the Special Representative Nicolas Hayssom for his extensive briefing and for his team’s efforts in Afghanistan.
We welcome the unanimous adoption of the resolution S/RES/2274 (2016), extending the yearly mandate of UNAMA, and thank the Spanish delegation for the work well done.
Ukraine also aligns itself with the statement of the European Union to be delivered later today.
Mr. President,
Ukraine is persuaded that the robust peace in Afghanistan can be established and that the only path to this goes through a broadly based national reconciliation. We are of the opinion that there is no viable alternative to the National Unity Government and we deplore any initiatives resulting in inner tensions that can put so desired Afghanistan’s stability at risk.
Like others, we commend the efforts of the recently established Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on national reconciliation to enable holding of early peace talks between the Taliban factions and the Afghan Government representatives.
We also call on members of the international community with a degree of influence on Taliban to use it to encourage their earnest participation in early peace negotiations.
Mr. President,
We commend the Afghan Government determination to focus its efforts on solving the economic issues, addressing the fiscal gap, poverty, unemployment, as stipulated in the Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework, as well as to promote regional economic cooperation.
However, the ability of the Government of Afghanistan to promote further reforms, in particular in the economic sphere, and to effectively confront the numerous challenges and threats posed by the insurgency and the activities of violent extremists depends on the continued support provided by its international partners.
In this regard, we look forward to the July 2016 NATO conference in Warsaw to consider further military support to Afghanistan, as well as the renewed donors’ civilian assistance, to be discussed at 2016 Ministerial Conference, hosted by the EU in Brussels in October 2016.
Yet the extent of the donor community’s commitments to security and development assistance to Afghanistan should go hand in hand with the progress of the Afghan Government in advancing its reform and good governance agenda.
Mr. President,
Unfortunately, the efforts of the Afghan Government and its international partners are overshadowed by the overall deteriorating security situation in this country, with the intensification of violence by the Taliban movement and other terrorist and violent extremist groups, as well as dangerously growing of presence of ISIL affiliates.
On the territories, upon which Taliban and other violent extremist groups impose their cruel terror, one can witness the alarming picture of flagrant violations of human rights, maltreatment of civilian population, summary executions, deliberate abuses and continuing discrimination against women and girls as well as the use of child soldiers. It creates the atmosphere of fear and terror in the entire region and contributes to instability and prolongation of conflict.
Ukraine condemns all violations of international humanitarian law, in particular deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilian objects, internationally protected objects like hospitals and clinics as well as humanitarian and health personnel thus creating insuperable difficulties for the implementation of the international community’s humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan. We call on all parties in Afghanistan to take measures to minimize civilian casualties by taking all feasible precautions in this regard.
We also call on the Government of Afghanistan to systematically investigate, with the support of UNAMA, all violations of international humanitarian law, to ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable, as well as that the victims and their families are provided with appropriate remedies.
Given the appalling practice of recruitment of children by the armed groups in the territory of Afghanistan we commend the Government’s commitment to ending and preventing grave violations against children, namely through full and complete implementation of the relevant Action Plan within the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) as well as its pledge to the UN “Children, Not Soldiers” campaign.
Ukraine is also highly concerned with the serious threat that anti-personnel mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices (IED) pose to the most vulnerable parts of the population, in particular women and children, in Afghanistan.
We are of the opinion that the international community should continue to enact relevant measures to prevent the flow of weapons, military equipment and component for IEDs to the Taliban and other terrorist violent extremist groups. We also consider it necessary for the UNAMA together with other UN entities, such as UNMAS, to promote mine risk education programmes in order to reduce the risks posed to civilians.
Mr. President,
Ukraine as a troop-contributing country to the NATO “Resolute Support” mission commends international efforts in assisting Afghanistan in building effective and viable national security forces. We call on the UN and Afghanistan’s international partners not to relent in helping this country to bring about lasting peace, security and stability.
In closing, I would like to reaffirm Ukraine’s full support for Afghanistan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and for its endeavors to combat the scourge of international terrorism.
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