The United Nations Security Council extended the mission of the Sanctions Monitoring Team against the Taliban administration for another year, an Afghan media agency reported. In a meeting on December 14, 2023, the UNSC members approved Resolution 2716, requesting the Sanctions Monitoring Team to support the committee established by Resolution 1988.
The UNSC has also asked the Sanctions Monitoring Committee to collect information on non-compliance with sanctions, according to an Afghan media organization
Sanctions on Taliban
The Monitoring Team is to gather information on instances of non-compliance with measures that include the freezing of funds and assets, prevention of travel, and supply or transfer of arms and related equipment, established by Resolution 2255 (2015). These sanctions include freezing funds and assets, travel bans, and prohibiting the supply or transfer of arms and equipment.
It is also to facilitate, upon request of Member States, assistance with capacity-building, and provide recommendations to the Committee for actions to respond to non-compliance. This committee imposes sanctions on individuals, groups, companies, and entities that are part of or associated with the Taliban regime.
The US Ambassador to the UN considered the continuation of sanctions against the Taliban as support for peace and security in Afghanistan. The US representative in the Security Council welcomed the extension of the mission of the Sanctions Monitoring Team against the Taliban administration.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US representative in the Security Council, has added that the reports of the Sanctions Monitoring Team are vital for understanding the impact of the sanctions and the reality in Afghanistan. He added that the sanctions should be adjusted in such a way that they do not negatively impact the people of Afghanistan.
Russian and Chinese Response
Notably, the group has repeatedly asked countries around the world to lift the sanctions. Still, the activities of terrorist groups, discrimination against women, and the lack of an inclusive government have prevented the Security Council from reconsidering its sanctions on the Taliban.
However, despite their opposition to the sanctions against the Taliban, China and Russia did not call for a review of the sanctions on the group. Moscow and Beijing did not veto the continuation of the monitoring team’s work. The representative of China in the United Nations Security Council stated that it is essential to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a hub for terrorist organizations, an Afghan media reported.
