The delegation from Afghanistan seized the spotlight in the General Assembly Plenary today as Representative Tarik Alduri of Afghanistan delivered a striking warning about the scale of the global humanitarian crisis. “Yesterday, on average, 25,000 people died due to hunger-related crises,” Representative Alduri said, opening his press conference with a gravity that immediately silenced the room. Representative Alduri then said, “Many of those individuals are in my home country of Afghanistan, where 15,000,000 people are at risk of starvation.” Representative Alduri stressed that the crisis is not one of apathy. “The issue is not goodwill,” Representative Alduri said. “I look around the Plenary and see people dedicated to humanity. The issue is logistics. How do we get that goodwill to the actual people?”

To answer that question, the Representatives of Afghanistan, Albania and Ethiopia introduced resolution GA Plen/II/2, a sweeping humanitarian proposal designed to establish voluntary UN Zones where Member States can repurpose existing hospitals, airports, highways, railways and other infrastructure to receive direct UN administrative and operational support. Representative Alduri of Afghanistan said, “This would increase the ability of humanitarian aid to actually reach its goals.” He followed it by saying, “Instead of being seized by the Taliban or lost in bureaucracy.” He added that Afghanistan’s current reality makes such a mechanism urgent, “As many of you know, my nation is currently held by the Taliban. Much of the aid meant for my people is seized. We must end that.” The resolution already has 34 signatories, including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Ethiopia and Norway. “Thank you to everyone who signed,” Representative Alduri said. “Your support means the world.”

Representative Tyson Thompson of Albania addressed concerns raised by other delegations about the resolution’s impact on sovereignty. “All UN Zones are voluntary,” said Representative Thompson, “sovereignty is completely protected. Countries can choose what to contribute, including existing airports or infrastructure.” Ethiopia’s Representative Riley Reese emphasized its connection to another draft, saying, “[Resolution GA Plen/II/2] works alongside draft resolution QQ, which addresses funding and distribution. Together, they answer most concerns we’ve heard about feasibility.”

When asked how UN Zones would function, Thompson stressed that the host state remains fully in control. Representative Thompson said, “The host state chooses the location. The UN and the state co-fund it. Other nations may help if they want to. And everything can be repurposed, airports, hospitals and railways. That way we’re using what already exists.”

A Representative in the audience pressed Representative Alduri on criticism that Afghanistan is relying too heavily on external mechanisms while internal infrastructure deteriorates. Representative Alduri responded unequivocally: “As a government-in-exile, we don’t control the Taliban. But we can ensure aid reaches our people. When the Taliban are deposed, and they will be deposed, we will establish a UN Zone inside Afghanistan so refugees can return home.” Representative Alduri then added, “Aid is meaningless if it never reaches people. We must do the hard things.”

The three delegations also emphasized the strategic link between resolution GA Plen/II/2 and draft resolution GG, now brought to the floor as resolution GA Plen/I/6, a modernization-focused proposal they jointly authored under Topic 1. Working Paper GG aims to develop environmentally sustainable port infrastructure and improve global trade networks, including routes that humanitarian assistance often relies on. “GG is about ensuring our infrastructure grows in a way that is efficient and eco-friendly,” Representative Alduri explained. “[Resolution GA Plen/II/2] is about ensuring aid moves through that infrastructure safely. Together, they modernize how the world helps people.”

Representative Alduri also highlighted that the drafting process for both resolutions was intentionally global. “For GG, we weren’t forming a bloc,” he said. “We built a resolution for humanity. That’s why China, the United States, Albania and Ethiopia all signed.” Representative Thompson of Albania added that making [GA Plen/II/2] voluntary helped break down barriers between regions: “Sovereignty issues can divide a room. Making [GA Plen/II/2] voluntary brought everyone in, from P5 members [China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States] to South American and Asian delegations.” Representative Reese of Ethiopia described the effort to overcome bloc fragmentation: “A lot of resolutions on the oceans topic were basically the same. So I reached out and said: ‘Let’s work together. Let’s just edit the same document.”

Despite lingering tensions in the room following controversial comments from the United States delegation the previous afternoon, all three representatives agreed that progress had not been hindered. “There was an overwhelming vote to return to Topic 1,” Representative Reese of Ethiopia said. “People are working. The plenary is moving.” Representative Alduri added, “People focus on loud moments, but the real work is quieter. [Suspensions], notes, conversations. The comments didn’t derail anything, they just gave the press a headline.” Representative Thompson summarized Albania’s position simply: “Albania has no comment on the actions of the U.S. But the resolutions are moving.” 

Later, speaking before the entire Plenary, Representative Alduri took the floor to introduce the proposed draft resolution TBG (Taliban Be Gone). His words were stark. “I would like to bring attention to the plague Afghanistan faces: the illegitimate Taliban government,” he began. “Draft resolution TBG asks that this issue be sent to the Security Council and that Member States ensure humanitarian aid does not reach the Taliban but instead the Afghan people.”

He detailed the scope of the crisis: “15.5 million Afghans are at risk of starvation. 80 percent of our hospitals risk closure.” A hush fell over the room as he continued, “We ask humbly for your support so we can save lives.”

Representatives questioned him immediately. One asked if Afghanistan would work with others on the issue. Representative Alduri replied without hesitation: “Anywhere people suffer at the hands of those who put ideology above human lives, Afghanistan will support them.”

Another representative pressed him on what prevents Afghanistan from progressing on development. Representative Alduri’s answer cut to the heart of his resolution: “The Taliban confiscates resources meant for the people. Draft resolution TBG asks the Security Council to prevent this diversion.”

A third representative asked what long-term process could stabilize the region. Representative Alduri of Afghanistan pointed to Resolution II/2 as part of Afghanistan’s path forward. “Extremist governments thrive in instability. Infrastructure and humanitarian stability, like [GA Plen/II/2], make nations resilient. When we return to power, we will build a stable Afghanistan.”

Finally, when asked how draft resolution T would ensure donor money and supplies serve civilians rather than militants, he delivered the core principle of the resolution: “Draft resolution TBG ensures humanitarian aid is managed by legitimate sources so it feeds people, builds hospitals and doesn’t fund Taliban violence.”

Only after all of this, the floor speech, the questions, the cross-bloc negotiations, did Representative Alduri share the most significant development of his day in a private follow-up. He secured time before the Security Council, and the Council expressed interest in supporting the Afghan people in their time of need while they’re under threat from the Taliban.

For Representative Alduri, the stakes remain deeply personal. “We cannot allow the Taliban to divert one more shipment of aid,” he said. “We cannot let 15 million people starve.”

And, as he declared both in the General Assembly Plenary and in interviews throughout the day, his message to the world remains unchanged:

“Get the Taliban out of Afghanistan.”