Afghanistan on Track to Building Post-2014 Future, Says UN Envoy
New York, Oct 9 2012 3:10PM Despite the impending drawdown of international forces and chronic challenges in governance
and security, Afghanistan remains on the path to a hopeful future, the United Nations envoy to the country said today.
At a press conference in Kabul, Ján Kubiš, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), briefed reporters on his recent visit to New York, where he addressed the Security
Council on the situation in the country.
Mr. Kubiš said that he and Council members agreed that Afghanistan faced a number of “critical” challenges related to
good governance and corruption, drug trafficking, human rights violations and an unpredictable security situation.
However, he responded to growing fears that the country’s stability would be compromised following NATO’s planned
withdrawal in 2014, emphasizing that Afghanistan continued along the road to progress.
“The main message was the message of hope,” he stated, “and expectations that Afghanistan will fare through this
together, supported by the international community and will be able to build its own future after 2014 in cooperation
with the countries of the region and being supported by the members of the international community and by the United
Nations.”
Afghan authorities are working with the international community so that by 2014 they can assume full responsibility for
security in all of the country’s 34 provinces. They are also working towards taking greater ownership of development in
a country where more than one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, and one in every two children under
five is chronically malnourished.
Mr. Kubiš also dispelled what he said were the “usual predictions of collapsing security” across the country and
spotlighted the UN’s role in fostering inter-Afghan reconciliation as part of larger efforts to build national accord.
“Security is much more complex and much broader than just military security and therefore we cannot have improvement of
security without improvement in the delivery of Government services, rule of law, justice, economic development and
governance,” he said.
Turning to the issue of Afghanistan’s upcoming elections, also scheduled for 2014, Mr. Kubiš addressed the ongoing
concerns over the country’s democratic process and suggestions that the elections would be delayed. But he took care to
dismiss all such speculation, noting that there had been “a very active series of steps” taken to ensure the holding of
the elections and that the vote would proceed according to schedule.
“I am encouraged by a very active focus on the issue of the election both from civil society and the political forces
here in the country, from the respective institutions and authorities of the country, including the parliament and
different ministries,” he continued, adding that planned measures such as the e-Tazkira, Afghanistan’s new electronic
voter identity card, would further guarantee a more transparent voting process.
“The international community is ready to do everything possible to support Afghanistan and, frankly, to help the country
avoid this kind of doom and gloom scenarios,” said Mr. Kubiš.
“There is an expectation that Afghanistan will work, will develop, with problems and difficulties, but still will
develop.”
Also today, the Security Council extended the mandate of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in
Afghanistan until 13 October 2013, and stressed the importance of increasing, in a comprehensive framework, the
professionalism and accountability of the Afghan security sector.
Oct 9 2012 3:10PM
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