Security Council Meeting: Afghanistan

Statement by Ambassador Michael Grant, Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations

New York, December 21, 2015

Mr. President,

Canada welcomes the latest report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which provides a good overview of developments in the country. We wish to thank UNAMA for its ongoing work in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is now one year into its transformation decade (2015 to 2024), a crucial period for strengthening Afghan security and moving beyond aid dependence through the implementation of the National Unity Government’s Realizing Self Reliance reform agenda.

Canada remains committed to working with the Afghan government to implement its reform agenda and is making significant commitments through to 2017. These include $227 million in bilateral development assistance to support programming in education, health, women’s and girls’ rights and empowerment and humanitarian assistance through capacity building in disaster management.

Social and economic outcomes are improved when all citizens are able to participate in, and contribute to the societies in which they live, and to have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Afghanistan’s potential cannot be fully realized without the participation of all of its people.

With this in mind, we call upon the Government of Afghanistan to fully implement the Elimination of Violence Against Women law, and to make every effort to guarantee the participation of women in all facets of Afghan life. Canada stresses that Afghan laws should ensure strong protections for women and girls, as guaranteed by the constitution and in line with Afghanistan’s international commitments to protect human rights, particularly protecting women and girls from sexual and domestic violence and child, early and forced marriage.

Mr. President, improved security and stability remain central to the achievement of Afghanistan’s long-term economic and development goals. Canada participates in broader NATO-led security efforts by providing $330 million over three years to help sustain the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.

Canada agrees with the conclusion of UNAMA’s assessment that the Afghan security forces have stood strong in the face of considerable challenges. But the brief fall of Kunduz and the Taliban expansion across Afghanistan cannot be overlooked. These are worrying signs of a broader deterioration in the security situation; one made more complex by the entrenchment of ISIL-affiliates. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence, with incidents up 19% this year, including targeting of UN staff and humanitarian workers.

Peace and reconciliation remain a necessary foundation for long-term security, stability and prosperity. Canada supports an Afghan-led peace process and welcomed the initiative in Murree this summer as a first step towards peace negotiations. We were heartened by the Afghanistan-Pakistan talks in Paris aimed at reinvigorating this process, as well as recent discussions at the Heart of Asia. While peace will not come easily, we are encouraged by these steps and urge further efforts to revive the peace talks.

Terrorism knows no borders. What threatens one state threatens its neighbours. And what menaces its neighbours menaces us all. With this interconnectedness in mind, it is imperative that we work together to confront Afghanistan’s security challenges and to ensure that militant groups are not able to exploit areas of instability to gain footholds from which to propagate their violence on a regional or global scale.

Mr. President, Canada recognizes that Afghanistan’s long-term economic development requires not only improved security and stability, but also large-scale private sector engagement, a skilled labour force, infrastructure development, enhanced social service delivery and good governance.

Canada continues to stand with the Afghan people as they strive for a more secure, more prosperous future for their country. We call on Afghanistan’s leaders to redouble their efforts to work collaboratively for, and with, all Afghans to improve security, bolster democracy and rule of law, increase transparency and to uphold and protect human rights for all Afghans.