Secretary-General Welcomes Ceasefire in Afghanistan Ahead of Eid al-Adha

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban of a ceasefire to enable the Afghan people to celebrate the Eid al-Adha holiday in peace.

The Secretary-General urges all parties concerned to seize this opportunity and embrace an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.  Only a peace settlement can bring an end to the suffering in Afghanistan.  He reiterates the urgency of a lasting ceasefire for addressing the COVID-19 emergency and underlines the readiness of the United Nations to provide any assistance that the parties may require.