KABUL, 27 Jan 2026: A senior United Nations official has concluded her visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, asking the Taliban authorities to open border crossings with Pakistan for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Pakistan said last month that it has cleared transportation of UN humanitarian assistance via the country’s border crossings after the UN had requested Islamabad to allow the passage of humanitarian aid.
The Afghan government is reluctant to open borders for the UN items via Torkham and other crossings after their closure in October last year. Taliban leaders insist that they would open borders with Pakistan on written assurances that gates would not be closed in future over political issues.
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo visited Kabul and held meetings with several Taliban ministers.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said last month that his government would try to make alternate arrangements for transportation of UN assistance into Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is expected to remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026, UN agencies and humanitarian partners warned on Tuesday.
An estimated 45 per cent of the population – some 21.9 million people – are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2026, according to a UN statement. Of those, 17.5 million people – more than three-quarters of them are women and children.
Ms. DiCarlo praised the vital role played by UN Afghan female personnel in support of the Afghan people and expressed her solidarity with them. She also met with Afghan women and civil society representatives to discuss the human rights situation in the country.
Dar confirms UN request
The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, during his Press Conference in late November, stated that the UN had requested Pakistan to allow the passage of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, in continuation of which the Ministry of Commerce issued a notification, allowing humanitarian aid to flow into Afghanistan.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said last month the issue of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan came in wake of formal requests made by certain UN agencies like the World Food Program (WFP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) for facilitation with the movement of containers carrying aid for Afghanistan.
Consistent with Pakistan’s own commitment to humanitarian access and the requests made by UN agencies, the Government has officially approved the movement of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan which will take place in three phases, according to the spokesman:
Pakistan had also chalked out a plan for the UN deliveries
In the first phase, the containers with food items will be allowed while in the second phase, containers carrying pharmaceutical products and medical equipment will be granted access; and in the final phase, containers transporting other essential goods related to education and health will be allowed.
The three phases are aimed at ensuring that it will be seamless and determine how the movement of humanitarian aid will flow into Afghanistan.
There have been meetings between the Ministry of Commerce, the lead Ministry on this issue, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we have been directed to expedite the procedural formalities which we would abide by.
As for the utilization of border crossings for the resumption of trade and overall movement, as discussed in the previous briefings, will remain closed.
“This decision to allow UN aid was taken in line with our obligation to humanitarian access, and, secondly, Pakistan does not have anything against the people of Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan are our brothers and sisters. We intend them no harm,” Andrabi had stated at his weekly briefing last month.
“While the closure of borders has a specific context and the rationale behind it still stands. On the issue of aid to the Afghan people, we remain positive and engaged,” he said.
Pakistan closed the border crossings with Afghanistan after the Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani border posts on October 11, causing casualties. Pakistani forces retaliated to the Taliban offensive and destroyed several Afghan border posts, according to officials.
UN official’s statement after Taliban meetings
A UN statement said that in meetings with the de facto authorities on January 25, the Under-Secretary-General raised concerns regarding restrictions on UN Afghan female staff, as well as the broader limitations on women’s access to education, work, and public life, and urged their immediate lifting.
She also encouraged the de facto authorities to engage fully in the Doha Process and to address their international obligations needed for Afghanistan’s reintegration into the international community. They agreed to continue their engagement.
During the visit, she met with de facto authorities and members of the diplomatic community in Kabul, as well as with Afghan women, civil society representatives, and Afghan national female United Nations personnel.
Ms. DiCarlo praised the vital role played by UN Afghan female personnel in support of the Afghan people and expressed her solidarity with them. She also met with Afghan women and civil society representatives to discuss the human rights situation in the country, according to the statement.
The Afghan Interior Ministry said on Sunday that the Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, met with the visiting delegation led by Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace building Affairs.
During the meeting, discussions were held on advancing engagement between Afghanistan and the international community, cooperation in combating narcotics, strengthening economic stability, ways to remove existing restrictions on the private sector, and improving the effectiveness of humanitarian cooperation led by the United Nations, according to the statement.
The Minister of Interior Affairs added that serious and practical measures have been taken against the cultivation, production, and trafficking of narcotics, which have resulted in positive outcomes. The meeting also addressed constructive engagement between the Islamic Emirate and the international community and the expansion of cooperation in light of actual conditions.
It was emphasized that mutual respect and realistic cooperation can further strengthen an atmosphere of trust. The United Nations delegation praised the security situation and the progress made in the fight against narcotics and reaffirmed its commitment to the continuation of humanitarian assistance.
The delegation stressed the importance of maintaining sustained engagement and added that, under the third phase of the Doha process initiated by the United Nations regarding Afghanistan, the working groups established within this process will hold their next meeting in Kabul, hosted by Afghanistan, the statement said.
The UN official also called on Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
An Afghan Foreign Ministry statement said that during the meeting, both sides discussed the interaction, coordination, and the Doha Process between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United Nations.
The Foreign Minister spoke about the positive steps of the Islamic Emirate concerning Afghanistan’s political situation, security, efforts or economic stability, the good management of the returned Afghans, and the necessary cooperation with them. He called for lifting banking restrictions on Afghan banks and releasing the frozen assets of “Da Afghanistan Bank”, (Afghanistan national bank) so that the private sector can operate normally for the country’s economic growth.
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