Ambassador Abdali Participated in a Virtual Seminar Entitled “Political Change in Afghanistan and the International Community”
The online seminar entitled “Political Change in Afghanistan and the International Community” co-organized by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Area (A) – Connectivity and Trust Building in Islamic Civilization, and Japan Platform (JPF) was held on August 31, 2021. Ambassador of Afghanistan to Japan, Dr. Shaida Mohammad Abdali, Dr. Atsushi Sunami, President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Mr. Tadamichi Yamamoto, Former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Mr. Koichiro Tanaka, Professor of Keio University, and Mr. Takeshi Komino, General Secretary of Church World Service (CWS) Japan and Co-Chairperson of Japan Platform, spoke during the event. The event was attended by a large audience from different entities, including universities, research institutions, and media organizations.
The participants spoke about the recent developments in Afghanistan and touched upon the internal and external factors that led to the collapse of the government in Afghanistan and ways the international community can assist the formation of an inclusive government acceptable for all Afghans and the international community. They also discussed the threats the presence of regional and international terrorist groups in Afghanistan could pose to the stability of the region and beyond if the international community fails to counter these threats timely and through collective efforts.
In his speech, Ambassador Abdali spoke about the current situation in Afghanistan and highlighted the dire humanitarian situation across the country. While stressing the need to enhance international efforts to increase support for Afghanistan in response to increasing humanitarian needs, he added that the government of Japan and Japanese humanitarian organizations could play a critical in this context. Ambassador Abdali also highlighted the importance of a constructive engagement from the international community to assist the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan aimed at protecting and reviving the gains of the last twenty years.
The event was followed by a Q&A; session.
