New York: The United Nations Security Council voted on Thursday to secure a formal presence in Taliban-governed Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan is yet to receive widespread international recognition following its takeover of the nation in August last year.
On Thursday, the UNSC approved a resolution that spells out the new one-year mandate of the UN political mission in Afghanistan, which it said was “crucial” to peace in the country.
The resolution includes several strands of cooperation on the humanitarian, political and human rights fronts.
The vote was 14 in favour, with Russia abstaining.
“This new mandate for UNAMA (the UN mission to Afghanistan) is crucial not only to respond to the immediate humanitarian and economic crisis, but also to reach our overarching goal of peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Norwegian UN ambassador Mona Juul, whose country drafted the resolution, was quoted as saying by AFP after the vote.
In August 2021, the Taliban overran Afghanistan as the last US-led international troops departed after 20 years of war in Kabul.
