The Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies held a roundtable discussion on ‘Assessing the UN Activities in Afghanistan’ in the past 40 years, particularly since 2001. The panel discussion was accompanied by Amb. Mahmoud Saikal, Former Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to United Nations, Toby Lanzer, Deputy Special Representative of UNAMA, Dr. Daoud Ali Najafi, former Minister of Transport, Dr. Abdula Qayyum Sajjadi, Member of Parliament, and Massouda Mehdizada, Deputy Program Manager for TVET-A for Wageningen University & Research, with moderation by Naser Sidiqee, AISS Fellow Researcher.
Mahmoud Saikal discussed the history of United Nations and its engagement in Afghanistan. He said that the sole purpose of establishment of United Nations Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) after 2001 was to coordinate implementation of the Bonn process. Adding that the UN came short in addressing the atrocities and grave human rights abuses of the Taliban, Amb. Saikal also discussed the reforms needed in the United Nations and the UN Security Council. At the end of his remarks, Amb. Saikal spoke about the role of the Afghan Government in the United Nations.