Barcelona City Council Calls For Protection Of Hazaras In Afghanistan

Officials at the meeting stressed that Afghanistan should be free from war, terrorism and narcotics, and voiced support for an independent, neutral and peaceful Afghanistan.

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Friday, April 24, that the meeting served as a consultative session among SCO member states.

According to the statement, participants reaffirmed support for an Afghanistan free of terrorism, conflict and drug trafficking.

The ministry added that discussions also covered prospects for pragmatic dialogue with the Taliban, resuming the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and other mechanisms of engagement.

Nurlan Yermekbayev, SCO Secretary-General, had earlier said Afghanistan remains under close monitoring by SCO members, given its impact on regional stability and shared borders with some countries.

The SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group has been inactive since the Taliban’s return to power, but its revival is now under discussion.

Vladimir Putin, president of Russia previously expressed support for restarting the group, saying it could help stabilise Afghanistan.

Pakistan foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, has also called for its revival.

Iran conflict

SCO deputy foreign ministers also discussed the situation involving Iran, expressing concern over rising tensions linked to what they described as aggressive actions by the United States and Israel.

They called for a swift political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Participants further stressed the importance of a fair, multipolar world order based on the United Nations, respect for cultural diversity and equal cooperation among nations.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, founded in 2001, includes Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan, with Belarus joining in July 2024.

Afghanistan and Mongolia are observer states, while several countries, including Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, are dialogue partners.

According to a statement from the Taliban governor’s office in Badakhshan on Thursday, April 23, Khurshid Adinezoda and Nazarali, first secretary of Tajikistan’s embassy in Afghanistan, met Mohammad Ismail Ghaznawi.

The Tajik diplomats emphasised effective border management and strengthening security in frontier areas.

Central Asian countries, particularly Tajikistan, have voiced concerns about security threats along their borders since the Taliban returned to power.

Tajik authorities had earlier said they were building military facilities in border areas with China’s support.

In recent months, several Chinese nationals have been killed in border area between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, with Tajik officials saying the attacks largely originated from Afghan territory.

At a regional meeting in Guliston, Tajikistan, border officials from Commonwealth of Independent States countries also expressed concern over the impact of Afghanistan’s unstable political, military and economic situation on Central Asian border security.

The meeting, organised by the Lajivard Yolu Policy and Research Centre, is titled “Geopolitical Dilemmas & Changin Priorities; Afghanistan at the Crossroads of Regional Crises”.

Organisers said on Friday, April 24, the forum provides a platform for dialogue among political figures, researchers and civil society representatives.

In a statement, the centre said Afghanistan has faced deep challenges in recent years, shaped by regional shifts and changes in global power structures, raising questions about governance and legitimacy.

Participants include anti-Taliban politicians, analysts, women’s rights advocates and civil society activists.

Organisers noted that ongoing changes in the international system, marked by intensifying great power competition, reconfiguration of regional alliances and emerging geopolitical alignments, have significantly affected Afghanistan’s political environment.

The statement added that Afghanistan should increasingly be analysed as a political actor, rather than viewed solely through a security lens.

The two-day meeting brings together experts and civil society figures to discuss these issues.

According to United Nations data, more than 2.8 million people returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone.

The total number of returnees since September 2023 has exceeded three million.

The UN estimates that if the trend continues in 2026, a further two million people could be returned.

Stephanie Loose, Country Programme Manager for UN-Habitat Afghanistan, said this surge has increased Afghanistan’s population by over 10 percent, a rise that would challenge even more developed countries.

Internal displacement

The UN-Habitat country programme manager said more than 3.06 million people were recorded as internally displaced in Afghanistan between 2021 and 2025, accounting for around 6 percent of the population.

She noted that since 2021, climate change, not conflict, has become the main driver of displacement, with Afghanistan ranking among the 10 most climate-vulnerable countries.

Loose said many returnees arrive with only what they can carry and face highly vulnerable conditions.

“Many returnees arrive with little more than what they can carry. Initially, some try to go to areas where they have family connections, but for many, especially those who have been away for years, those ties have weakened or no longer exist.” she said.

The UN says many then move to cities in search of services and jobs, contributing to the rapid growth of informal settlements.

It estimates that up to 70 percent of urban areas in Afghanistan are now informal and unplanned.

Observations show residents in such areas face severe shortages of housing and limited access to water, sanitation, education and healthcare.

The UN official stressed that the key challenge is the sustainable integration of returnees.

She added that their main needs include housing, land access, water and sanitation, education, healthcare, and, most importantly, livelihoods.

According to United Nations, the fighting has forced some students from their homes, while others can no longer attend school.

In Kunar province, many villages have been emptied of children, and several schools have been destroyed in the conflict.

A report by Agence France-Presse said the clashes have severely damaged schools as well as homes, leaving thousands of children without access to education.

The report said around 22 schools in Kunar alone have been damaged and require reconstruction.

Mohammad Amin Shaker, a school headteacher in Kunar, said children who had been studying are now out of school, and the school building has been destroyed.

Thousands of people have also been displaced and are now living in difficult conditions along the Kunar River.

One displaced resident said children are deprived of education and families are living in poor conditions in tents.

Displaced families have called on the international community for assistance.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said hundreds of civilians have been killed since the clashes began.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of supporting anti-Pakistan groups and providing them shelter, claims the Taliban deny. The border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan has remained tense for nearly two months.