Early Thursday morning the Security Council’s debate was interrupted when they received the
message that two ambassadors of the United States and Japan were taken hostage by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Interestingly enough, a delegate from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was previously invited to take part in the Council’s session as an observer state and was therefore present during the discussions.
Because the delegation of the United States of America as well as the delegation of Japan were believed to be in serious danger, the committee had to evacuate. In a column of eight vehicles including two police cars, the delegates were brought to a safe venue. There, the President of the General Assembly explained the situation and also highlighted the fact that previously, US Intelligence Services gathered information about a possible trade of military equipment and secretUS documents between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Russian Federation.
In a video filmed by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan the abductors demanded to be recognized as a sovereign country, for international sanctions to be lifted and for frozen financial assets to be given back in exchange for the weapons, the documents and the hostages.
The committee session started with a speech by the delegate of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan, emphasizing the fact that they wish to be treated with respect. The session now
moved to unmoderated congress for about an hour. During this time, heated discussions were
being held by the delegates and eventually, the group split in two with one consisting of the
delegations of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and China and another bigger group with the other delegates, including the delegations of the United States and the United Kingdom. The intensity of the situation drastically increased when the delegate of the United States announced that the US security council is planning a military invasion in Afghanistan in order to rescue the hostages.
Eventually, the delegates submitted a new resolution which contained a peace offering under the conditions that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan release the hostages, adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and give women access to the Afghan education system. In exchange, several sanctions would be lifted and the currently frozen funds would be distributed as humanitarian aid throughout Afghanistan. Another part of the resolution allows for the USA’s special military operation to attack certain people in charge if the hostages are not returned safely. This resolution draft was strongly debated, however all delegates could agree that saving the hostage’s lives took the highest priority. After intense advocating by the Brazilian delegation for an impartial judge system in Afghanistan and a passionate debate about theocracies, the resolution was eventually accepted by all delegates with 14 votes in favor and one abstention. The session ended with closing speech by the delegation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, saying that they accept the resolution however also highlighting the fact that it had to come to a hostage situation in
order for them to be listened to.
All in all, despite the immense stress of the situation and the time pressure, the delegates
managed to work well together and demonstrated their ability to communicate in order to lead constructive debates. While it sure was a challenge for the members of the Security Council, it was also a unique and memorable experience for the participants.
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