Since then, as international funding has stalled amid uncertainty about the Taliban’s return, the UN has acted as the world’s “eyes and ears” on Afghanistan. After shifting focus to humanitarian work, UN agencies and partners are looking for ways to help long-suffering populations meet basic needs and preserve hard-won development gains.
UN news was recently in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul to learn more about what the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is doing to support national partners in responding to the needs of drug-affected communities and helping to backstop drug treatment facilities.
While there, we also spoke with Markus Poztel who serves as the Deputy Special Representative for the UN Assistance Mission in the country, known as UNAMA.
In this exclusive interview, Mr. Poztel talks about the Mission’s efforts to combat drug abuse and trafficking in Afghanistan as well as the work to restore and protect the country’s basic rights, especially women’s rights and a woman.
He emphasized the role of the UN as a “bridge builder” in a very complex situation where the needs are as great as the challenges.
While identifying work with in fact authorities in many areas, he said UN news “there is no middle ground” on the issue of women’s and girls’ education and that broader human rights and decrees restricting women’s participation in society “must be reversed as soon as possible”.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Markus Potzel: Afghanistan is still the world’s largest producer [of opium]. We recently saw a ban [enacted by the Taliban] in poppy cultivation, production, and trafficking. Initial field reports suggest that there is a decline in poppy cultivation, which we applaud.
We also see efforts to do more for drug rehabilitation centers. the in fact the authorities can allocate more [budgetary funding] to supply these centers with medicine, food, and clothing. However, I also call on the international community to do more. We are working with countries in the region that are willing to support the in fact drug rehabilitation authority.
In terms of livelihood, there should be more support from the international community because it is in all our interests – in the interests of Afghans, but also in the donor countries of the West and regional countries, all of which are suffering of drug abuse and trafficking.
UNAMA spoke [this issue] with the political leadership here, and we are trying to find some common ground in the fight against drug abuse and drug trafficking and provide ways for alternative livelihoods.
UN News: How do you balance between the work you have to do on the ground in Afghanistan and dealing with what many consider illegitimate authorities?
Markus Potzel: The basis of our activity here is the mandate given to us by the Security Council, which urges us to engage with all political interlocutors, including in fact authority.
We have to face the facts on the ground. The Taliban control … almost the entire country. And that is an opportunity for the Taliban to stabilize and pacify the country. It is also a responsibility because they have to provide services to the people. They must provide good governance and the rule of law. This is where we see the deficits. The authorities are interested in talking to us because they see us as a bridge. We can help deliver messages from Afghanistan to the outside world, and we’ll do it the other way around, too.
We have 11 field offices throughout the country. So, here we are. We are the eyes and ears, the antennae of the international community. We give messages, and by talking to in fact authorities, we are also trying to promote cooperation and help them get out of this isolation.
We think that isolation is not an option, at least not a good option, for the future of Afghanistan.
UN News: Banning the education of women and girls has harmed the development of the country. While we are here, we are still hearing this from people who work in institutions run by the Taliban. How to find the middle ground on an issue like this?
Markus Potzel: There is no middle ground on this issue. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that does not allow girls to go to school beyond grade six, or to university. There is no discussion about it; it is not a bargaining chip. It must be reversed.
I am sure that the majority of the Afghan population, including the Taliban, are against these orders. They are in favor of girls’ education. I have not met any officials from in fact authorities in favor of decrees prohibiting women from attending school or university.
[These decrees] detrimental to economic development. Women should have something to say. Women should have a say in this society. [The de facto authorities] the ban should be lifted as soon as possible. Otherwise, there will always be a shadow over Afghanistan’s relationship with the international community.
UN News: If the majority of Afghans disagree with this ban, including their own people, why do the Taliban authorities continue to enforce it?
Markus Potzel: The Emir of Kandahar and his inner circle provide a mixture of religious arguments and cultural stories [for implementing the decrees]. However, on religious grounds, Islamic countries around the world do not have this restriction. No other country in the world has this ban. The Quran says “Iqra” which means “wet”. It encourages all people – men, women, boys and girls – to read, write, learn.
And in terms of culture, there is a tradition in the country that girls and boys know. Under the Republic, not all girls went to school. In the remote areas, they don’t have a chance, but they are given the right, by the constitution and the law, which is no longer there.
UN News: Have you received any kind of cooperation from Islamic countries to help you deliver this message to the Taliban?
Markus Potzel: Yes, of course. There was a delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that came here and tried to convince the decision makers in this country of the view that education is part of Islam. So far to no avail, but they will return. These are scholars from Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar, and Indonesia. [During the earlier visit] a woman was part of the delegation of scholars. Islamic countries probably have better access and may be more convincing in talking to the Taliban. We hope that in the end, all our efforts will pay off.
UN News: Before the political change, the Taliban was the biggest threat to the work of the UN. After August 2021, what is the biggest challenge currently facing the UN’s work in Afghanistan?
Markus Potzel: In terms of security, it is definitely Da’esh, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province.
The situation for the UN has become difficult because women in Afghanistan are not currently allowed to work for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), nor are they allowed to work for the UN. This really complicates things because we rely so much on women in our work. Without women, it would be very difficult … for aid organizations to continue. We need women helping women.
There are tens of thousands of households headed by women in this country because many men in the families lost their lives in the war. And without women, NGOs and UN organizations cannot function properly [so] fewer people get help.
Afghanistan needs international help.
UN News: What is your message to the de facto authorities?
Markus Potzel: I think that the in fact Afghan authorities should make girls go to school beyond grade six. They should send girls to university. They should allow women to work for international NGOs, for national NGOs, and for UN organizations. And they should allow women to participate in social life. If this happens, I imagine that Afghanistan will be reintegrated into the international community, and international donors will reconsider and perhaps strengthen engagement with Afghanistan. Afghanistan needs international help. And we, as the UN, want to help them help themselves.