IEA Foreign Minister Demands Representation in UN Humanitarian Institutions

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the IEA Foreign Minister, has called for the inclusion of IEA representatives in United Nations institutions based in Geneva and other locations. During a meeting in Kabul on Tuesday, November 18, 2024, Muttaqi stated that all countries maintain permanent representatives in UN bodies and participate in their sessions, but the IEA lack such representation.

He specifically criticized the absence of a IEA representative at the United Nations climate summit in Brazil. Muttaqi advocated for separating humanitarian issues from political ones. He posed the question: 'Are topics related to the environment, health, delivering food aid, assisting migrants, agriculture, and peaceful aid from the International Atomic Energy Agency, along with similar matters, humanitarian issues or not?'

Continuing, he added: 'If these are humanitarian topics, why has the participation of the Islamic Emirate's representative in international sessions of the relevant UN organizations been tied to politics?' Muttaqi urged the United Nations and relevant parties to earnestly separate humanitarian matters from politics. He requested that UN agencies active in humanitarian sectors facilitate the participation of Taliban representatives in their meetings.

The United Nations does not invite the IEA to international summits, including the annual climate change conference, due to the group's lack of international and domestic legitimacy. Additionally, the UN has not recognized IEA representatives for Afghanistan's missions in New York and Geneva to date. Nasir Ahmad Faqih and Nasir Ahmad Andisha, diplomats from the previous government, continue to serve as heads of Afghanistan's representations in New York and Geneva. They participate in United Nations sessions.