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At the UN General Assembly debate on the situation in Afghanistan, the UAE confirmed its full support for the political reconciliation process led by the Government of Afghanistan, underlining the importance of dialogue as the basis for conflict resolution, and encouraging positive participation by the Afghan community.

Mrs. Amiera AlHefeiti, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, emphasized the UAE’s support for efforts by the Afghan government to institute large-scale economic, social and political reforms, particularly through strengthening the role of women and youth in the development process. She outlined that between 2012 and 2017, the UAE contributed over 433 million USD to Afghanistan, mostly towards supporting women, health and education services. She highlighted that the UAE is financially assisting the reconstruction of schools, medical facilities, and roads – in addition to disaster relief – and urged the international community to unify and coordinate efforts to implement joint development projects in Afghanistan.

Mrs. AlHefeiti expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan with the presence of armed groups such as Al Qaeda and and Dae’sh, and underscored the UAE’s support for the Government of Afghanistan’s efforts to combat terrorism. She noted that as co-chair of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process: Confidence Building Measures, the UAE hosted the 7th Regional Technical Group Meeting of Counter-terrorism Confidence Building Measures in November 2018. This meeting aimed to reinforce the region’s security cooperation to address terrorist threats and formulate a comprehensive strategy for confidence building measures to combat terrorism.