By Janet Ekstract
NEW YORK – From Wednesday afternoon to 4:00 AM on Thursday, Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio chaired a G20 high-level virtual ministerial meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, 16 ministers including the foreign ministers of France, Germany, the UK, China, India, Spain, the Netherlands as well as the U.S. Secretary of State, IMF Managing Director and the World Bank President among many others. Others joining the meeting included 13 specialized UN agencies as well as Qatar The purpose of the meeting was to exchange ideas about contributions the G20 group can provide to continue international efforts to assist in the Afghan crisis as well as confirm the priority that the international community puts on Afghanistan.
Participants all agreed on the indispensable role the United Nations plays and how crucial an ongoing presence is of its agencies in Afghanistan. The UN has reiterated its support in assisting the Afghan people and also migrants in neighboring countries and IDPs. Participating countries outlined shared priorities such as the need for prompt and effective action to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and the economic collapse of Afghanistan. Especially worrying is the winter season and to that end, there must be a guarantee of free, safe and unfettered access to humanitarian assistance for Afghans all participants agreed. For this to happen, it was agreed that the Kabul Harmid Karzai International Airport needs to return to its full operational capability. There was a consensus that security is still a serious concern and there was a firm appeal to the new Taliban government not to become a safe haven for terrorists and extremists. All countries at the G20 agreed that respect for human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls is crucial. Also the need to provide to Afghans the legitimate aspiration for peace and well being which must be the “guiding principles” of any activities related to Afghanistan.
