- Check against delivery -

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its 28 Member States.

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^* and Albania^*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, align themselves with this statement.

I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report and also to thank Special Representative Yamamoto as well as the Afghan Youth Representative Ramiz Bakthiar for their briefings. I also thank Permanent Representative Saikal for his statement.

Madam President,

The political and security landscape has witnessed many changes since President Ghani's unprecedented peace offer at the meeting of the Kabul process in February. The EU has wholeheartedly welcomed the Kabul initiative, which has greatly increased the chance of entering talks led by the Afghan government on a genuine peace process. President Ghani's offer of ceasefire mid-June generated additional momentum for peace and showed to every Afghan and to the entire world that peace is possible. Grassroots movements for peace were another manifestation of the Afghan desire for peace and stability.

Unfortunately in recent weeks we have observed an increase in violence, including the Taliban's attack on Ghazni. This resulted in further suffering of the Afghan population. The Taliban also registered substantial numbers of casualties in different provinces, underlining the tremendous costs of a strategy that seeks advantage in the battlefield rather than entering peace talks. Also reckless spoilers of peace remain active, in particular IS.

The European Union remains a steadfast supporter and promoter of peace. We will continue to help broadening the political consensus for peace by cooperating closely with the UN, whose assistance and facilitation remain essential.  The EU reiterates its willingness to actively accompany this process, underlining in particular the regional dimension of any successful peace process. A stable and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of all its neighbours. The EU will consider all available incentives and constraints to help foster such a development.

Madam President,

We are now looking forward to the Geneva Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan. In the spirit of the Brussels Conference of 2016, we expect Geneva to be another key moment in support for the Afghan government's reform agenda, and to send a strong message on peace. The Afghan government must demonstrate progress on the implementation of the reform package it committed to during the Brussels Conference. We also look forward to the Geneva Mutual Accountability Framework (GMAF) that should set concrete and measurable indicators for further reforms. All these reforms are consubstantial to peace efforts.  

At Geneva, peace, self-reliance and regional cooperation/connectivity should be our guiding principles. We see in particular the need to agree on lasting anti-corruption measures for which we look forward to an updated set of concrete and measurable indicators. In the same vein, we will emphasize credible implementing measures on human rights, reinforcing relevant legislation.

In July 2018 the EU disbursed the second tranche of the State-Building Contract (SBC) for Afghanistan (98 million EUR). We hope this would contribute to further advancing economic growth and job creation for the benefit of the Afghan people.

Madam President,

On 20 October Afghanistan will organize Parliamentary elections. It is an important event, long awaited by the Afghan population. These elections must take place in a democratic, transparent and credible way. It will also be a test case for the presidential elections in 2019. We encourage the Afghan authorities to continue improving the electoral governance system. Much remains to be done, both at technical level and in the political sphere. Regarding the latter, the EU calls on all parties and political representatives to respect the electoral process and its institutions.

The EU and its Member States will continue to work together in support of the Afghan electoral process. The EU has committed € 15.5 M to assist the parliamentary elections under the coordination of UNAMA. The EU will also deploy an Election Expert Mission for the parliamentary elections.

Madam President,

The EU applauds the readiness of the Afghan government to engage on all youth related matters, also in light of the implementation of Security Council resolution 2419 on Youth Peace and Security. Considering the needs of this most sizeable age group the youth perspective deserves the fullest attention, also in terms of political participation.

Madam President,

The EU continues its structured dialogue with Afghanistan under the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD). We are following on the results of the EU-Afghanistan Special Working Group on Human Rights, Good Governance and Migration held on 5 May in Kabul. We encourage the Afghan authorities to continue to implement the relevant legislation, with particular focus on areas such as: the elimination of violence against women, implementation of the National Action Plan 1325, protection of children and the prevention of torture and ill treatment.

The EU remains deeply concerned about the high level of civilian casualties and the increasing number of displaced people and calls on all parties to protect the civilian population, especially women and children.

In this regard, we support NATO-led Resolute Support Mission efforts to provide further training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions.

We need to continue to protect the vital role of humanitarian agencies and respect their impartiality and the humanitarian space in addressing the most urgent needs of the most vulnerable.

To conclude, Madam President,

This is a very important moment for Afghanistan. We should not lose the positive momentum for peace generated in June. The three-month conditional cease-fire proposed by President A. Ghani in August is still valid and we encourage all parties to the conflict, starting with the Taliban, to answer positively.

Finally, the EU strongly acknowledges the crucial role played by UNAMA and all the UN agencies in supporting the Afghan people. The EU remains committed to working alongside UNAMA and international partners to achieve a democratic and self-sustainable Afghanistan.

Thank you very much.

* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.