Committee: Special Political Committee

Topic: Stabilization/Reconstruction in Afghanistan

Author: Alex Colangelo

The Committee

The main deliberative organ of the United Nations is the General Assembly, consisting of representatives of all member states.  While the resolutions of the General Assembly do not bind the member states, the work of the General Assembly carries the weight of international opinion.  The tremendous amount of work allocated to the General Assembly makes it necessary for the work to be allocated among its six main Committees.  The Fourth Committee of the General Assembly is known as the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. 

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee is usually assigned two types of issues. The first are directly political, regional issues. These include the Palestinian question, destabilization of Lebanon and the war in Eritrea. The second type are more general issues that do not fit in many other parts of the UN agenda such as a constant review of peacekeeping operations, creating standards on the peaceful uses of outer space and most recently, guidelines on the transfer and usage of information.

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee did not exist when the UN was founded. It was originally created by the First Committee (Political and Security) of the General Assembly and called the Ad Hoc Political Committee. It dealt with matters that did not fit into the jurisdiction of the First Committee. These were primarily regional matters (such as the ones listed above) because the First Committee's mandate is a global one.

Statement of the Problem

While the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan have yielded results, immense challenges remain.  Afghanistan has a total of 3.2 million refugees currently living outside its borders, the largest number in the world.[1]  Taliban insurgents continue to instigate acts of violence as they maintain a strong influence in some areas of the country.[2]  Humanitarian access has become a growing challenge, and at least 78 districts have been deemed by the U.N. as extremely risky.[3]  Conflict between insurgents and security forces has made access to rural areas of the south and south-eastern parts of the country more difficult, and rates of violence and suicide attacks have increased in the past few years.[4]  Afghanistan remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world with respect to landmines as two Afghanis are killed or injured every day from mines.[5]  Beyond the issues surrounding security, social problems and development remain a prescient issue.  Mortality rates of children are amongst the highest in the world; a great majority of the population lacks access to safe water or sanitation; and two million children of primary school age do not attend classes.[6]

History of Afghanistan

Located in south, central Asia, Afghanistan has endured numerous changes in government structure as well as civil war over the last few decades.  The Soviet occupation, which begin in 1979 led to the deaths of a million Afghans and five million refugees leaving the country.[7]  Groups of Afghan Islamic fighters known as mujehadin, with covert support from the United States, fought to force the withdrawal of the occupation force, and once the Soviets finally withdrew, the mujehadin attempted to consolidate power.  With Americans more concerned with their war in Iraq, the infighting of mujehadin factions, led to further instability as the country slid further into a state of lawlessness.[8]  While the central government attempted to hold power in Kabul, the rest of the country was carved up amongst local warring factions.[9]  It was in this atmosphere that the Taliban emerged in the southern city of Kandahar towards the end of 1994.

The Taliban movement emerged as a result of former mujehadin, disillusioned with the chaos of the post-Soviet era.[10]  As ethnic Pashtuns, they enjoyed the support of Afghanistan’s Pashtun community, as well as those weary of the instability and lawlessness of many parts of the country.[11]  With the support of Pakistan, which saw the Taliban as able to secure trade routes, the group took control of much of Afghanistan.  By 1996, the Taliban had also taken control of the capital of Kabul.[12] 

While the Taliban controlled much of the country, Burhanuddin Rabbani, who had been elected president of the nation’s Islamic Council in 1992, was still recognized as the president of Afghanistan by the U.N. and several countries.[13]  The Northern Alliance, nominally headed by Rabbani, consisted of the previously opposed groups, which united in their desires to topple the Taliban.[14]

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s oppressive policies towards its citizens, such as those respecting the place of women in society, began to capture the attention of the international community.[15]  Responding to the bombings of its embassies in Nairobi and Dar es-Salaam by the Osama bin Laden led al Qaeda, the United States bombed bin Laden’s training camps near the Pakistani border.[16]  The Taliban’s refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden, who had taken refuge in Afghanistan, further led to U.N. sanctions in December, 2000.  Meanwhile, fighting between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban continued in the northeast throughout 2000 and 2001.[17]

Attacks of September 11, 2001 and Ensuing Conflict

The attacks of September 11, 2001 hardened the resolve of the United States to pursue military action to apprehend Osama bin Laden.  In an address to Congress on September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush laid the blame for the attacks squarely on al Qaeda, and accused the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan of collusion with the terrorist group.  President Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum which included, inter alia, delivering to U.S. authorities, al Qaeda leaders and closing all terrorist camps in Afghanistan.[18]  When the Taliban balked at the U.S. demands, air strikes by the U.S. and Britain began on October 7, 2001, with ground forces soon following.[19]  The Taliban, however, fought back, supported by volunteers from Pakistan who brought with them various armaments.[20]  The U.S.-led offensive, Operation Enduring Freedom, meanwhile, was supported by several nations, and by the end of December, the Taliban lost its last stronghold of Kandahar.[21]  Meanwhile, representatives of various Afghan factions met in Bonn, Germany to agree on an interim power sharing arrangement, the creation of a new constitution and elections in 2004.[22]  The Bonn Agreement was signed on December 5, 2001[23] and Hamid Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun and royalist was subsequently sworn in as the leader of the interim government on December 22, 2001.[24]

The challenges to Afghanistan at the time of signing were immense.  Social institutions such as the parliament, courts and educational and health systems had been decimated, while infrastructure had been destroyed by war.[25]

2002 and Beyond

At the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance on Afghanistan was held in Tokyo on January 21-22, 2002, Secretary General of the U.N. Kofi Annan stated that Afghanistan would require $10 billion over a 10-year period.[26]  The Security Council passed Resolution 1401 on March 28, 2002, which established the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), to assist in implementation of the Bonn Agreement and in the reconstruction of the country.[27] A new constitution was adopted in January, 2004, and parliamentary and provincial elections led to Afganistan’s parliament convening for the first time in 30 years in 2005.[28]

Past U.N. Action

As stated above, the Security Council passed Resolution 1401 in March, 2002, which established UNAMA.  UNAMA is responsible “for the direction and oversight of all U.N. relief, recovery and reconstruction activities.”[29]  The U.N. assisted in the return of approximately millions of refugees from neighbouring countries, the establishment of distribution and encashment centres and assistance with controlling the adverse effects of natural disasters.  Meanwhile, U.N. agencies and NGO partners designed various food-for-work and school feeding programs, as well as resettlement packages for hundreds of thousands of refugees.[30]  The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and NGO partners, meanwhile, contributed thousands of tons of wheat seed and fertilizers.[31]

The U.N. has also been actively involved in public works projects aimed at employment creation and the rehabilitation of infrastructure.  Projects include repairing schools, hospitals and other infrastructure such as water and waste management.[32]  UNICEF has worked to provide feeding to malnourished children, and basic health and emergency kits have been distributed around the country.  Further, the WHO and UNICEF spearheaded an emergency response to a scurvy outbreak through the distribution of 260,000 Vitamin C tablets in 2002.[33]  With the support of UNICEF, the Ministry of Education, NGOs and other schools launched Back-to-School campaigns in 2002, which exceeded expectations.

[34] Since the early days of U.N. action, the U.N. has continued its base work, while strengthening programs and moving from direct implementation towards supporting nationally defined priorities through capacity building, while working with the Afghan government.

Considerations for a Resolution

While NATO has assumed responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan[35], some participating countries are currently debating withdrawing their troops.[36]  Such a move has been resisted by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who, in a speech to Canada’s parliament in 2006, urged the continued support of the international community.[37]  The debate surrounding the withdrawal of troops has been underscored by the rising death toll amongst members of the international community currently playing a role in Afghanistan.[38]  Further, civilian deaths amongst the Afghan population, coupled with raids of homes, air strikes and the nature of security checkpoints are undermining the support of Afghan civilians for the international presence.[39]  “Afghan patience is wearing dangerously thin.”[40]

A potential resolution might consider the issue of security, how it will be provided, and by whom.  The international community has also assisted in the training of Afghanistan’s troops and police, which is paramount to the country’s ability to ensure its own security.  The Taliban insurgency, however, has made this a difficult challenge, and Afghanistan’s security forces are currently unable to maintain peace without international support.  The issue of security, and the protection of Afghans from the Taliban insurgency, therefore, is a serious consideration.  What should be the mandate of troops going forward?  Should NATO troops remain in combat roles, or should the United Nations form a peacekeeping force to work in conjunction with domestic security forces?[41] 

Further, there are discussions amongst members of the international community as to whether a negotiation and reconciliation process with the Taliban should be instigated.  Earlier this year, the upper house of the Afghan Parliament recommended that the government initiate peace talks with the Taliban[42], and President Karzai has made similar overtures.[43]    The Taliban, however, has responded that it will never negotiate with Afghan authorities until the United States and NATO exit the country.[44]  You may want to consider, therefore, whether negotiation is a possible next step, and the process by which this could occur.

The nature of reconstruction is also a prescient matter for consideration.  Various U.N. agencies, NGOs, and the international community have invested resources and expertise in order to provide healthcare, investments in education and infrastructure and to allow refugees to return and resettle.  While there have been numerous successes, the challenges continue.  Afghanistan remains one of the world’s least developed countries, and overall life expectancy is estimated at only 42.5 years.[45]  The committee should consider how programs will be administered and strengthened moving forward.  What must also be considered is the fact that the programs are only possible if security exists to protect workers, and the funds are available to administer the programs.  For example, the International Committee of the Red Cross currently has 1,179 staff members in Afghanistan, engaging in various programs though it has recognized that “security constraints still hamper humanitarian operations in many areas.”[46]  The issues of security and reconstruction, therefore, are intimately tied.

References:

1.      UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan - http://www.unama-afg.org/

2. UN Development Programme – Afghanistan - http://www.undp.org.af/
3. BBC News - http://news.bbc.co.uk/
4. UNICEF – Afghanistan - http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_afghanistan_latest.html
5. Human Rights Watch - http://www.hrw.org/
6. The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/0,,548335,00.html