Run by guns, Afghanistan & Myanmar withdraw from 76th UNGA General Debate

Amid ongoing turmoils from wars and conflicts, Afghanistan and Myanmar 'withdrew' their participation from the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA) General Debate as per the spokesperson for the President of the 193-member intergovernmental organ. According to the latest list of speakers of the high-level debate scheduled for September 27, both the countries are not listed to address the debate session despite the mention of previous provisional speakers and countries diplomats enlisted to speak. 

The withdrawal from UNGA General Debate holds relevance adjacent to a battle of international legitimacy of the violent territorial and military conquest of the Taliban in Afghanistan, succeeding the Ashraf Ghani-led regime and the military junta in Myanmar which ousted its democratically elected government in February 2021. 

Afghanistan & Myanmar will not participate in UNGA's General Debate 

A spokesperson of the President of the UNGA Abdulla Shahid has confirmed to PTI that 'we have received information that the Member State withdrew its participation in the General Debate which was scheduled for today' (September 27). Grayley said, "Myanmar withdrew its participation some time back and Afghanistan over the weekend." 

Earlier this month, the Taliban wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nominating their spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's ambassador to the UN and had asked to participate in the UNGA's General Debate. Following the military coup in Myanmar, its military government said that the country's ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun has been dismissed and that they wanted Aung Thurein to replace him. 

Notably, while the current dispensation in both Myanmar and Afghanistan nominate their own envoys to the UN, while the permanent representative of the toppled governments continued being stationed there, the decision of who represents the two countries at the United Nations fell to the UN Credentials Committee. 

Taliban's nomination of Permanent Representative at UNGA

Reports suggest that on September 20, on the eve of the commencement of the high-level UN General Debate, Antonio Guterres had received a communication with letterhead 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs' signed by Ameer Khan Muttaqi as Minister of Foreign Affairs, requesting to participate in the 76th session of the UNGA on September 27. The letter also indicates that as of August 15, 2021, "Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is ousted and the international community no longer recognise him as President or Head of State. Ghulam Isaczai was appointed as Kabul's envoy to the UN in June 2021 by Ghani. After incessant and violent territorial gains of the Taliban, Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan as the extremist group encircled Kabul to prepare for their final conquest.

Isaczai continued to represent Afghanistan at the UN in the days after the Taliban's takeover and during the opening of the UN General Debate, Isaczai sat in Afghanistan's seat in the UNGA Hall. 

The Taliban nominated the Doha-based spokesman Shaheen as Afghanistan's new Permanent Representative to the UN. According to the Taliban letter to the UN, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen was nominated. The same communication has been sent by the UN Secretariat after consultation with the President of the General Assembly while Credential Committee chaired by Sweden, including the US, China, Russia, Bahamas, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Bhutan and Chile are likely to meet at the end of the week-long General Debate.

Afghanistan joined the UN on November 19, 1946, while Myanmar has been a UN member state since April 19, 1948.