The third recommendation of the assessment of the situation of Afghanistan to the UN Security Council by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, called for a roadmap for reintegration of the country into the international system.

In a document seen by TOLOnews, Guterres made four recommendations including building confidence by addressing the immediate needs of Afghans, continuing cooperation on key security, regional and political issues and a roadmap for reintegration of the state of Afghanistan into the international system as well as mechanisms to support engagement.

A part of his third recommendation highlighted the importance of beginning a more coherent political engagement process by the international community and Afghan stakeholders.

“More integrated and coherent international engagement should be pursued through a performance-based roadmap,” the document stated.

The document also stressed the need for international obligations of the State of Afghanistan with suggested benchmarks to indicate progress in meeting them, and a call for an intra-Afghan political process that will build toward inclusive constitution-making.

“Progress in both of these components will build toward an end state of the international community’s normalization of relations with the State of Afghanistan,” the document reads.

Torek Farhadi, a political analyst, told TOLOnews that the assessment shows that there has not been development in important issues.

“This is an independent assessment and the message for the interim government is that there has not been breakthroughs in important issues such as girls’ schooling, women’s integration in society and work as in other Islamic countries, the constitution and people’s role in the government,” he said.

“The question is that this roadmap, which is the will of the people of Afghanistan -- will this roadmap be implemented by the interim government?” said Suraya Paikan, a women’s rights activist.

Guterres underscored a set of obligations for Afghanistan, saying that founding principles of the UN Charter, as set out in its preamble, are to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights.

He said that the de facto authorities in Afghanistan have asked to be recognized as the governing authority for Afghanistan but doing so comes with acceptance of their obligations and commitments in international conventions, and good faith measures to comply with these through policy, legislation and in practice.

“Afghanistan has committed to multiple treaties, including equal treatment of all citizens, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, identity or political opinion,” he said.

“Considering the specific policies on women and girls in place since August 2021, it is important to emphasize the commitments and obligations of the State of Afghanistan as a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and as a party to the CEDAW, ICCPR, ICESCR.”

Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, in reaction to Guterres’ assessment, said: “There are various countries with various types of government in the world.

Afghanistan also has a government of its own and no one should put these illegitimate conditions on the Afghans. If they do so, we can still live without being recognized by them,” he said.

The assessment called for pursuing intra-Afghan dialogue to achieve more inclusive governance, saying that there is a need to take steps towards an Afghan national dialogue that would establish inclusive governance and ensure sustainable peace and social, cultural and economic development after 45 years of armed conflict.

The UN Secretary-General said that an inclusive governance and intra-Afghan dialogue would permit movement toward the end state of full normalization and integration of Afghanistan within the international system.

Guterres made the assessment in response to resolution 2679 (2023), adopted by the Security Council on March 16, 2023.