Do Now | Security Council Activity
Addie will place you non-member state groups. Step 1 | Reading Overview Following the September 11 attacks, the United States led a military invasion of Afghanistan aimed at removing the presence of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda from the region. Although the US-led coalition was able to take control of the vast majority of Afghanistan and establish a new Afghan government, Taliban remnants waged a continued insurgency against international presence. Moreover, the internationally-backed Afghan government was plagued by a multitude of problems, including high levels of corruption, middling popular support, and overreliance on foreign aid. In 2020, the United States signed a ceasefire with the Taliban agreeing to withdraw from the region. The Taliban did not abide by the terms of this agreement, militarily seizing control of Afghanistan’s provinces throughout 2021 before entering Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul on August 15. Afghanistan’s economy has deteriorated to such an extent that many civilians can no longer afford basic necessities. In April 2022, 70% of Afghan households reported having insufficient income to meet basic food and non-food needs. Afghanistan’s economic issues are worsened by international sanctions on the Taliban, as these severely hamper legitimate economic activities such as importing banknotes and settling commercial transactions. Although the former Afghan government had $9 billion in assets, these have been frozen and are inaccessible to the current governing authorities. Despite the continued flow of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Afghan vulnerability to famine and natural disasters has increased. Food insecurity has become a critical issue. According to the UN World Food Program, over 20 million Afghans face hunger, and approximately 6 million are on the brink of starvation. An ongoing drought, increases in the prices of food and agricultural commodities are among the factors responsible for this crisis. Afghanistan has also faced its worst winter in over a decade, and the weather has been responsible for at least 162 deaths since 10 January 2023. Although the Taliban has generally been accepting of international humanitarian aid, female aid workers have been barred from Afghanistan since December 2022. A number of concerns have been raised regarding the Taliban’s handling of human rights. On 4 September 2021, a protest in Kabul involving around 100 women was reportedly dispersed with tear gas and electroshock weapons, and other public demonstrations have also been met with repression. Press freedom has also drastically declined under the Taliban. Over 70% of independent media outlets have shut down since August 2021, and according to Amnesty International, at least 230 journalists have been assaulted and 12 have been killed. Women’s rights in particular have come under heavy attack, and Afghan women are now increasingly being pushed out of public life. No women are present in the current Afghan cabinet, and the Taliban abolished Afghanistan’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs shortly after taking power. Although ruling authorities initially allowed some women to attend university, a ban has been in place since 20 December 2022. Women are also barred from attending secondary school, as as from working most jobs outside of the home and traveling long distances without a male chaperone. The Taliban has claimed they will only address concerns about their human rights record after receiving international recognition as the governing authority of Afghanistan. Although the Taliban has publicly pledged not to harbor terrorists, there are signs of increased terrorist activity within Afghanistan. An April 2022 UN report found that ties between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda “remain close”, and that Al-Qaeda has used Afghanistan as a base to recruit and train militants. On 31 July 2022, an American drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the emir of Al-Qaeda, whose presence in Afghanistan was known to the Taliban but who was nevertheless allowed to live in downtown Kabul. ISIS-K, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also has a presence in Afghanistan. Although there are allegations of cooperation between the Taliban and ISIS-K, American and United Nations reports have both cast doubt on these, and the Taliban has labeled ISIS-K a “corrupt sect” which Afghans are forbidden from contacting. ISIS-K has been responsible for a slew of terrorist attacks, including a 26 August 2021 bombing of Hamid Karzai International Airport which led to 183 deaths. Most other terrorist attacks by ISIS-K have been within Afghanistan or Pakistan, but a few attempted terrorist attacks in Europe have been traced back to ISIS-K. Step 2 | Research Addie will assign your group one official response question below to research and respond to as a group of member states on Security Council.
Step 3 | Official Response Presentation Assignment Notebook Skyward Check
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Club DescriptionThe Model United Nations (UN) club is a continuation of the introductory course to international relations debate that places students in the acting capacity of diplomats, ambassadors, and heads of state of a nation. Delegates research topics, imagine solutions, debate with their fellow delegates, reach compromises, and arrive at resolutions that may solve some of the foremost problems facing the globe today. Monday NewsOctober
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