UN Urges West to Engage With Afghanistan, Warns Isolation Could Fuel Instability

Senior United Nations officials have urged Western nations to deepen engagement with Afghanistan, warning that isolating the country could trigger instability with consequences extending far beyond its borders.

Speaking to the Associated Press during a joint visit to Afghanistan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) chief Alexander De Croo said sustained engagement—not isolation—was key to promoting stability and addressing the country's humanitarian crisis.

'Ignoring Afghanistan Is Not an Option'

 Barham Salih said recent history had shown the risks of disengaging from Afghanistan.

"The lesson of recent past is that ignoring Afghanistan is not a good thing to do," Salih told the Associated Press.

He said supporting constructive policies would help ensure Afghanistan remained stable, warning that renewed instability could lead to increased extremism, drug trafficking, organised crime and refugee movements.

"Without it, I think we may well risk instability, with all the implications of that instability," he said.

Country Faces Multiple Crises

The UN officials said Afghanistan continues to grapple with overlapping humanitarian and economic challenges after decades of conflict.

According to the UN, nearly six million Afghans have returned from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran since 2023 following crackdowns on undocumented migrants, with another two million expected to return this year.

The influx has placed enormous pressure on an already impoverished economy which is already struggling with poverty, malnutrition, climate-related disasters and limited public services.

The crisis has been worsened by steep reductions in international aid and continued restrictions imposed by the Taliban administration on women and girls, including bans on secondary and higher education and restrictions on employment.

De Croo added that international funding cuts have had severe consequences for essential services saying that 422 medical centres had closed over the past year because of funding shortages, leaving more than three million people without access to basic healthcare.

The officials also pointed to earlier warnings from the World Food Programme, which said funding shortages had forced it to turn away three out of every four acutely malnourished children seeking food assistance.

UN Notes Progress Despite Challenges

Despite the difficulties, the UN officials said Afghanistan has made progress in some areas, particularly in security, anti-corruption efforts and narcotics control.

"I wouldn't close my eyes to the fact that there is progress, and maybe progress that no one would have expected five years ago," De Croo told the Associated Press.

He said opium production had fallen by around 95%, largely due to the Taliban's crackdown and programmes that helped farmers shift to alternative crops.

However, De Croo warned that reduced international funding could reverse those gains.

"If we cannot continue working together with farmers in giving them an alternative for producing drugs, then drug cultivation could return," he said.

But, the treatment of women and girls remains one of the biggest obstacles in Afghanistan's relationship with the international community.

Salih and De Croo said they raised the issue with Afghan officials during their visit and argued that continued engagement offered the best chance of encouraging reforms.

"We hope that constructive engagement will show the way forward... It is important that there is progress, there are tangible reforms that will allow for an inclusive system in this country," Salih said.

'Price of Inaction Is Higher'

The two UN officials warned that instability in Afghanistan would have global repercussions well beyond the country's borders.

"If now the international community turns its back to Afghanistan, the consequences will not only be in Afghanistan. The consequences will be much, much broader," De Croo said.

Echoing that message, Salih said the international community should not ignore developments in Afghanistan.

"It is vital to remind the world that the price of inaction far outweighs action. You cannot ignore Afghanistan, and what happens in Afghanistan does not necessarily stay in Afghanistan," he said.

(With Inputs From AP)