UN Tries to Release Afghanistan's Blocked Climate Budget

The Taliban's Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that Uzbekistan's diplomat has pledged to work to expand relations between Kabul and Tashkent.

Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for the Taliban's Foreign Ministry, wrote in a statement on Wednesday, November 20, that Muttaqi had assured Usmanov that the group would cooperate with him on various issues.

According to the statement, Amir Khan Muttaqi considered the diplomatic cooperation between the Taliban and Uzbekistan as a sign of the progress of relations between the two countries.

The Taliban's foreign minister also stressed that practical steps should be taken to advance major economic projects between the group and Uzbekistan.

According to the statement, Uzbekistan's new ambassador to Afghanistan also promised that he would work to develop relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan during his mission in Afghanistan.

Oybek Usmanov, 62, previously served as Uzbekistan's ambassador to Egypt and Pakistan. He arrived in Kabul on October 28 this year to begin his work as his country's new ambassador to Afghanistan.

The former ambassador of Uzbekistan to Afghanistan was Yadgar Shadmanov. In September this year, he announced the end of his mission in Afghanistan after 12 years.

Although Uzbekistan does not recognise the Taliban government like other countries, it has established close relations with the group. Taliban and Uzbekistan officials have met several times over the past three years.

The anniversary came "at one of the darkest times in Afghanistan's history", the office said.

Nasir Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan's acting representative to the United Nations, said in a message on Tuesday that the lack of a legitimate government has isolated the country and that Afghanistan is in one of the deepest social, political and humanitarian crises.

Afghanistan became a member of the United Nations on November 19, 1946. Afghanistan's membership document in the United Nations was signed by Abdul Hussain Azizi, Afghanistan's representative at the time.

After nearly eight decades, the United Nations and none of its members have recognised the ruling regime in Afghanistan, and its seat has been lost. Due to non-payment of membership dues, no representative from Afghanistan is present in many UN committees and the country has lost its right to vote.

Afghanistan, with a long history of presence at the United Nations, is today in one of its darkest and most isolated periods, observers say.

Mirwais Balkhi, a researcher at the Wilson Centre in Washington, DC, referring to Afghanistan's situation at the United Nations, told Afghanistan International that regional governments, such as Pakistan and Iran, speak on behalf of this country in the organisation.

He stressed that the United Nations should play a more active role in resolving the long-term crisis in Afghanistan.

"Afghan people expect the United Nations to end the half-century conflict in Afghanistan through effective mediation and finding a political solution," Balkhi said.

Afghanistan joined the United Nations at a time when many countries in the region had not yet been formed, Balkhi said.

Referring to the Taliban's efforts to take over Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations, Balkhi stressed that the United Nations cannot decide on Afghanistan's seat alone, and this issue requires consensus among the member states of the Security Council. According to him, deep disagreements among the members of the Security Council have prevented the achievement of a common position.

Balkhi called Afghanistan's situation at the United Nations "unstable" and said, "It is not clear whether Afghanistan's seat in the United Nations will remain, be closed or be handed over to the Taliban."

Balkhi said that the United Nations refuses to formally cooperate with the Taliban despite humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. This situation has led to a kind of dichotomy: the United Nations is in contact with the Afghan people, but it does not recognise the ruling regime.

On the occasion of Afghanistan's membership in the United Nations, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday called the country a proud member of the international community.

In recent years, UNAMA has focused on building peace and sustainable development for the Afghan people.

Khan said that Western countries should expedite the process of accepting Afghan applicants waiting in Pakistan.

According to the Dawn newspaper, Khan said that the conference will discuss challenges such as the voluntary return of refugees to Afghanistan and their resettlement in third countries.

He said that a trilateral meeting with the Taliban and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be held soon to discuss the challenges of Afghan refugees.

Khan stated that about 600,000 Afghan applicants have now registered with the UNHCR in Pakistan for resettlement in Western countries.

Criticising the low admission of Afghan refugees this year, the Pakistani official said that the quota of applicants registered with the United Nations for resettlement this year was only 8,000.

Pointing to Afghanistan's fragile and limited infrastructure for the return of Afghan refugees to the country, he said that the reintegration of Afghan citizens into their country has become a challenging proposition.

The Pakistani official clarified that Afghanistan's capacity to absorb returning refugees is very limited.

According to statistics, the first round of deportations of Afghan refugees began in October last year, when about 600,000 Afghan refugees were deported from Pakistan.

The United Nations also reported earlier that 1.3 million Afghan refugees are currently living in Pakistan with POR cards, which was recently renewed by the Pakistani government for another year.

The court added that it sentenced the woman to 39 lashes and five months in prison.

On Tuesday, November 19, the Taliban's Supreme Court wrote in a statement that the woman's flogging sentence was carried out by the primary court of Bak district of Khost province in the presence of Taliban officials and local residents. The Taliban has not commented on the woman's charges.

In the past week, the Taliban has flogged at least 16 people in Ghazni, Nangarhar, Baghlan, and Paktika provinces on various charges.

Human rights organisations consider corporal punishment such as flogging and the death penalty to be a violation of basic human rights principles and contrary to human dignity.

Recently, the Taliban in Paktia province executed a person accused of murder at the Gardez Stadium in front of people.

Emphasising on the deportation of migrants from Iran, he said that some Afghans "have quasi-legal documents that are considered inadmissible".

Yarahmadi is an adviser to the Minister of Interior and the head of the Centre for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs of the Ministry.

In a meeting with the governor of Bushehr on Tuesday, he said that Afghan immigrants who have quasi-legal documents will be identified and deported from Iran.

The official did not elaborate on the "quasi-legal evidence”.

The Islamic Republic deports undocumented immigrants. The country has also deported Afghans with Iranian passports and visas, and this process is still ongoing.

He claimed that Afghan immigrants who enter Iran with visas have the necessary services.

The head of the Centre for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs of the Iranian Ministry of Interior said that the number of Afghan nationals and immigrants in Iran exceeds the population of a number of countries combined.

Nader Yarahmadi added that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pays $5 for each citizen, which he said is insignificant compared to the services the refugees get from the Islamic Republic.