United Nations, December 20 (Xinhua) -- China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, on December 20, called on the international community to intensify its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, increase contacts with the Afghan authorities, and increase support for the Afghan authorities' counter-terrorism, while urging the Afghan authorities to strengthen the protection of women's rights and interests.
Geng Shuang said during the Security Council's deliberation on Afghanistan that at present, more than 3 million children in Afghanistan are malnourished, and more than 10 million people "don't know that the next meal is coming" Winter has come, and the humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan will be further intensified. China once again calls on the international community to take immediate action to increase humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, send warmth and hope to the Afghan people, and not allow the Afghan people to fall victim to political calculations. China also hopes that all parties will take a long-term view, increase development assistance to Afghanistan, help Afghanistan restore the operation of its banking system, establish a basic economic order, and better integrate into regional economic and trade cooperation and connectivity. At the same time, the frozen overseas assets of Afghanistan and their interest should be returned to the Afghan people as soon as possible.
Geng Shuang said that women and children in Afghanistan have the right to receive education and achieve employment. The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan should take concrete actions to implement the requirements of the Security Council resolutions and respond to the concerns of the international community. At the same time, it should also be noted that the rights and interests of women and children cannot be realized in a vacuum. To this end, the international community should support Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction and economic recovery, create favorable conditions for protecting the rights and interests of women and children, and refuse to simplify and absoluteize this issue, let alone make it instrumental.
Geng Shuang said: The independent assessment of the situation in Afghanistan pointed out that the international community should have a clear understanding of the political reality in Afghanistan, put the interests of the Afghan people first, and maintain contacts with Afghanistan. The international community's engagement with the Afghan Taliban authorities should be conducted in good faith, without preconditions, and in a manner that is acceptable to the Afghan Taliban in order to gain their understanding and cooperation. With regard to the follow-up to the independent assessment, the Security Council should take into account the needs of the Afghan people and the expectations of the international community and make a decision on the basis of full consultations. The Security Council should adjust its sanctions in a timely manner, in particular by reinstating travel exemptions for some Afghan Taliban** as soon as possible, so as to facilitate contacts with Afghanistan.
Geng Shuang called on the international community to increase support for the Afghan authorities in counter-terrorism. He said that at present, terrorist forces in Afghanistan are still active and pose a threat to Afghanistan and the region. The international community should urge and help Afghanistan effectively combat terrorism and resolutely prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hub for terrorist organizations again. The Afghan authorities should, in accordance with the requirements of the Security Council resolutions, take effective measures to prevent the use of Afghan territory to engage in terrorist acts that threaten other countries. The report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicates that the area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has fallen by 95 per cent following the anti-narcotics order, which deserves full recognition. The international community should provide targeted support to Afghanistan in terms of alternative cultivation and drug rehabilitation.
Geng Shuang said that as a neighboring country of Afghanistan, China has always actively supported Afghanistan's peaceful development and taken concrete actions to help the Afghan people and alleviate their suffering. China is willing to continue to actively participate in coordination and cooperation with Afghanistan under the framework of the Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the China-Central Asia Cooperation Mechanism, continue to support the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), support the United Nations in playing an active role, and work with regional countries and the international community to help Afghanistan get out of its predicament at an early date and achieve lasting peace and stability. (ENDS).