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During the General Assembly plenary meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, the UAE renewed its longstanding commitment to the government.

Speaking on behalf of the UAE, Mr. Saud AlShamsi, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, expressed concern for the continuous attacks in the country, noting that it claimed over 8,200 lives in 2019 alone. He recalled the January 2017 attack in Kandahar which claimed the life of H.E. Juma Al Kaabi, the late UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan, as well as the lives of five other Emirati humanitarian relief officials who were on a humanitarian mission in the region.

Mr. AlShamsi underlined that the UAE remained fully committed to supporting efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan, including through its participation in NATO’s efforts and by convening Afghan talks in Abu Dhabi in December 2018. In this regard, he reiterated the UAE’s firm rejection of the threats to the situation, including all forms of extremism, terrorism, and violence that contributes to destabilization and violates all principles of humanity and religion, and called for global cooperation to address these threats.

Mr. AlShamsi expressed the UAE’s support for the international community’s efforts to provide unified and coordinated support for a comprehensive peace process in Afghanistan. He underscored that only a diplomatic solution could achieve long-term peace and stability in the country.

Furthermore, Mr. AlShamsi outlined the UAE’s development and humanitarian contributions to support Afghanistan. He highlighted that a group of Afghan women will be participating in the upcoming second round of the UAE-UN Women Peacekeeping and Military Training Programme. He also noted that the UAE, as a member of the Group of Friends of Women in Afghanistan, looked forward to addressing challenges faced by Afghan women.