UNAMA welcomes adoption of resolution ensuring delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Wednesday welcomed the UN Security Council's (UNSC) decision to adopt a US-led resolution to allow an exemption to the sanctions provision established by resolution 1988 (2011). The decision will facilitate the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to millions of Afghans, who are in dire need of life-saving aid, despite restrictions on the Taliban (under UN sanctions for terrorism). Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, UNAMA also urged Afghan DFA & international community. "to accelerate necessary next steps to support needs & rights of Afghan people, including the broader, underlying, economic crisis impacting society."

It is pertinent to mention that on Wednesday, 15 members of the UNSC unanimously adopted Resolution 2615 (2021), under Chapter VII of the Charter of the UN, proposed by the US Treasury Department. The resolution issued three general licences earlier in the day to allow the continued flow of life-saving humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. "These licences expand upon existing authorisations for the provision (in Resolution 2255 (2015) of humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs and enable broader support for the Afghan people consistent with Resolution 2615 (2021) adopted by the UN Security Council," US State Secretary Antony Blinken said in a statement, as quoted by ANI.

UNAMA Secretary-general welcomes UNSC decision

Additionally, UNAMA Secretary-general Deborah Lyons also welcomed the UNSC decision in a series of Twitter posts, saying that the ruling reiterated -- "We are united in support of Afghan people." "This milestone decision will enable urgently needed humanitarian action to save lives and livelihoods in Afghanistan. It is evidence of how seriously the Member States take the shocking levels of need and suffering in the country," she said.

Noting that some 160 national and international humanitarian organisations are providing critical food and health assistance in Afghanistan, as well as education, water and sanitation, and support to agriculture, she added that the ramping up of efforts will ensure assistance to nearly 22 million people in 2022. "This humanitarian exception will allow organisations to implement the work we have planned, and it will give legal assurances to the financial institutions and commercial actors we rely on to engage with humanitarian operators," she highlighted. Stressing that all must unite to preserve the dignity of Afghans, she highlighted that the impact of the assistance also depends on the cooperation of the de facto authorities in the country and on the flexibility of the funding that UNAMA receives.

(Image: @DeborahLyonsUN/Twitter/AP)