Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, warned that political engagement with the Taliban has yielded little progress, while frustration among international stakeholders is growing. “The space for engagement is narrowing,” she said, adding that some governments now question whether dialogue with the...
Since then, as international funding has stalled amid skepticism about the Taliban’s return, the UN has been acting as the world’s “eyes and ears” in Afghanistan. After shifting mainly to humanitarian work, UN agencies and partners are finding ways to help the long-suffering population meet basic needs and preserve hard-won...