Discurso do Representante Permanente, Embaixador Sérgio França Danese, em reunião do Conselho de Segurança sobre a Situação no Afeganistão - 26 de setembro de 2023 (texto em inglês)

Statement by the Permanent Representative, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, on the Situation in Afghanistan
September 26th, 2023

Mister President,

I thank Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva and Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous for their briefings. I also commend the representative from the civil society Ms. Karima Bennoune for shedding light on the challenges and hardships faced by millions of Afghans, and especially women and girls, in their daily lives.

As we have reached the two-year mark of the Taliban’s return to power, we can assess the global response to Afghanistan’s challenges and also chart a course to contribute to the well-being of the Afghan people.

Brazil welcomes the efforts by the United Nations to engage with the Taliban de facto authorities and to align Afghanistan’s policies with international standards, as detailed in the latest report by the Secretary-General (S/2023/678).

Brazil remains troubled by the extremely serious humanitarian crisis in the country. It requires acute attention of the international community. A staggering 29.2 million Afghans, making up over 70 per cent of the population, desperately need assistance. Shrinking resources, economic constraints and the lack of employment opportunities exacerbate the distressing situation.

The human rights situation is also appalling, in particular for Afghan women and girls. Many of their essential rights and freedoms continue to be systematically and deliberately violated. Such acts run against everything we cherish and believe as far as human dignity is concerned. Despite evidence to the contrary, we must hope and continue to urge the de facto authorities to steer the nation towards inclusivity and full and indivisible respect for human rights and especially with regard to women and girls. Discriminatory measures and systematic violations of the human rights of women and girls, including access to education and work, will undermine any prospects of building a stable and prosperous society in Afghanistan. This can never be achieved without the proper inclusion and meaningful participation of women in public life and girls getting their appropriate education.

Mister President,

Addressing the root causes of Afghanistan’s multiple challenges is key to translating the country’s enormous potential into reality. Recent economic indicators offer a glimmer of hope for Afghanistan’s macroeconomic landscape. The exchange rate has been stable, inflation is under control, revenue is being collected and legal exports are increasing. Therefore, Afghanistan has somewhat robust macroeconomic fundamentals on which to build. But one must not compromise such fundamentals by following a political path that further alienates significant segments of the Afghan society and keeps isolating the country.

The international community should do its part and engage in a principled manner. Carefully channelling frozen assets back to Afghanistan’s Central Bank should be a key component of any strategy aiming at a constructive engagement with the de facto authorities. Helping Afghans to address the intricate political, economic and humanitarian challenges they face is no simple task, but the international community, and especially States that have had or still have a stronger involvement in the country's more recent history, have the political and moral obligation to do so.

Thank you.