Afghanistan and the United Nations

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
United Nations membership
Represented by	Kingdom of Afghanistan (1946–1973); Republic of Afghanistan (1973–1978) (1973–1978); Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1992); Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992–2002); Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (2002–2004); Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004-present);
Membership	Full member, officially recognised as legal Government.
Since	19 November 1946
UNSC seat	Non-permanent
Permanent Representative	Naseer Faiq (chargé d'affaires)

Afghanistan officially joined the United Nations on 19 November 1946^[1] as the Kingdom of Afghanistan. In June 1945, the month after war had ended in Europe, representatives from 50 countries came together and drew up the UN Charter, which was signed on 26 June 1945. The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945.

As one of the UN's earliest members, Afghanistan has contributed to the work of the world body, including through its diverse and unique culture.^[2]

Despite the loss of territory to the Taliban in 2021, the Islamic Republic, via the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, continues to hold Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations, with the newly reinstated Islamic Emirate remaining unrecognized by the organization.^[3] The United Nations since 2021 rejected the Taliban's bid for Afghanistan's seat in the organization three times.^[4]

In May 2024, owing to its failure to pay the United Nations' membership fees amid ongoing disputes over the country's seat in the UN between the Taliban and the previous government, the UN suspended Afghanistan's voting rights in the UN General Assembly.^[5]