Briefing by Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, on the situation in Afghanistan during the Security Council Open VTC.
Deborah Lyons, Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, United Nations:
“The recent 12 May attack against a maternity ward in western Kabul was particularly outrageous and established a new low. This was truly a moment when new life was taken from the womb. The perpetrators must be found and held accountable.”
“It grieves me to say that the number of children out of school has not dropped. But instead it has risen in the past eight years – the number of children out of school. If there ever was a call for prayer, if there was ever a call to prayer for peace, surely it would echo the voices of these children.”
“I am cautiously optimistic that the talks between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban negotiation teams will indeed start in the next few weeks in Doha, during the month of July. As the two sides embark on what will likely be a long and complex series of talks, I have encouraged them to show the necessary flexibility and foresight, the commitment to peace and most importantly compassion for their people that will be needed to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.”
“As we know, the best chance for a durable settlement rests on a broad consensus, reflecting the aspiration and concerns of all citizens. We understand that both sides have now reached out to various constituencies to seek their views on peace. It is indeed crucial to develop inclusive structures for peace talks, that allow the meaningful participation of women, youth, minorities and victims of war. It is important that the rights of victims are addressed during the negotiations and approaches for reconciliation are considered.”
