Security Council

5857^th Meeting (AM)

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION

IN AFGHANISTAN FOR ONE YEAR, SHARPENS ITS PRIORITIES

Stressing the importance of a comprehensive approach to the challenges facing Afghanistan, and reaffirming its support for that country’s Government and people, the Security Council today extended for one year the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping presence there and sharpened its priorities.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1806 (2008), the Council instructed the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to lead international civilian efforts to, among other tasks, promote coherent international support to the Afghan Government and adherence to the principles of the Afghanistan Compact; strengthen cooperation with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF); and, through an expanded presence countrywide, provide political outreach.

(The Afghanistan Compact, which followed the formal end of the Bonn process in September 2005, established a framework for cooperation and coordination between Afghan and international efforts over a five-year period.)

Further by the resolution, UNAMA would support efforts to improve governance and the rule of law, and combat corruption; play a central coordinating role to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance; promote human rights; and assist in the electoral process, particularly through the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission.

The Council called on Afghan and international partners to coordinate with UNAMA in implementing its mandate and in its efforts to promote the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel countrywide.

Stressing the importance of strengthening and expanding UNAMA’s presence and that of other United Nations programmes in the provinces, the Council encouraged the Secretary-General to finalize arrangements to address the associated security issues.

The Council condemned in the strongest terms all attacks, including suicide attacks and abductions, targeting civilians and Afghan and international forces and their deleterious effect on reconstruction and development efforts, and the use by the Taliban and other extremists of civilians as human shields.  It also called on the Afghan Government to continue to address, with ISAF’s assistance, the threat posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, illegally armed groups, criminals and those involved in the narcotics trade.

In related provisions, the Council reiterated its concern about all civilian casualties, and expressed its strong concern about the recruitment and use of children by Taliban forces.

Additionally, the Council stressed the importance of increasing the professionalism of the Afghan security sector through training, and welcomed the continuing progress in the development of the Afghan National Army.  It called for further efforts to enhance the capabilities of the Afghan National Police, and for further progress in disbanding illegal armed groups.

The Council also called on States to strengthen international and regional cooperation to counter the international threat posed by the illicit production and trafficking of drugs originating in Afghanistan.

Recognizing the importance of voluntary, safe and orderly return and sustainable reintegration of the remaining Afghan refugees for national and regional stability, the Council called for continued and enhanced international assistance in that regard.

Speaking after the vote, the representative of Italy said the Council had once again stood strong and united behind one of the most important United Nations Missions.  The resolution met all the expectations in the Secretary-General’s report and the needs of his new Special Representative, Kai Eide of Norway, who had stressed the need to sharpen UNAMA’s mandate.  Indeed, the resolution not only extended the Mission’s mandate for a further 12 months, it also offered clear guidance on priorities to take forward in the next month.  Those included enhanced coordination of and leadership on international efforts, strengthened cooperation with ISAF, political outreach, national reconciliation, human rights promotion, electoral support and regional cooperation.

In addition, he noted, the resolution highlighted the main features of the 12 March Security Council debate on Afghanistan (see Press Release SC/9274), which included the need to be guided by the overarching principle of Afghan ownership and leadership, the protection of civilians, particularly children, and the advancement of peace and security.  It was now the duty of the entire international community to translate the resolution into complete support for UNAMA.

The meeting began at 10:21 a.m. and ended at 10:27 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 1806 (2008) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its previous resolutions on Afghanistan, in particular its resolution 1746 (2007) extending through 23 March 2008 the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) as established by resolution 1662 (2006), and recalling also its resolution 1659 (2006) endorsing the Afghanistan Compact,

“Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan,

“Reaffirming its continued support for the Government and people of Afghanistan as they rebuild their country, strengthen the foundations of sustainable peace and constitutional democracy and assume their rightful place in the community of nations,

“Reaffirming in this context its support for the implementation, under the ownership of the Afghan people, of the Afghanistan Compact, of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and of the National Drugs Control Strategy, and noting that sustained and coordinated efforts by all relevant actors are required to consolidate progress made towards their implementation and to overcome continuing challenges,

“Recalling that the Afghanistan Compact is based on a partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community, based on the desire of the parties for Afghanistan to progressively assume responsibility for its own development and security, and with a central and impartial coordinating role for the United Nations,

“Stressing the central and impartial role that the United Nations continues to play in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan by leading the efforts of the international community, including, jointly with the Government of Afghanistan, the coordination and monitoring of efforts in implementing the Afghanistan Compact, and expressing its appreciation and strong support for the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative for Afghanistan and the women and men of UNAMA,

“Recognizing once again the interconnected nature of the challenges in Afghanistan, reaffirming that sustainable progress on security, governance and development, as well as the cross-cutting issue of counter-narcotics is mutually reinforcing and welcoming the continuing efforts of the Afghan Government and the international community to address these challenges through a comprehensive approach,

“Stressing the importance of a comprehensive approach in addressing the challenges in Afghanistan and noting, in this context, the synergies in the objectives of UNAMA and of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and stressing the need for strengthened cooperation, coordination and mutual support, taking due account of their respective designated responsibilities,

“Reiterating its concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, in particular the increased violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, illegally armed groups, criminals and those involved in the narcotics trade, and the increasingly strong links between terrorism activities and illicit drugs, resulting in threats to the local population, including children, national security forces and international military and civilian personnel,

“Stressing the importance of ensuring safe and unhindered access of humanitarian workers, including United Nations staff and associated personnel,

“Expressing also its concern over the harmful consequences of violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other extremist groups on the capacity of the Afghan Government to guarantee the rule of law, to provide security and basic services to the Afghan people, and to ensure the improvement and protection of their human rights and fundamental freedoms,

“Recalling the importance of the Kabul Declaration of 22 December 2002 on Good-Neighbourly Relations (Kabul Declaration) (S/2002/1416), looking forward to the Third Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan to be held in Islamabad, and stressing the crucial importance of advancing regional cooperation as an effective means to promote security, governance and development in Afghanistan,

“Welcoming the holding of the Afghan-Pakistani Peace Jirga in Kabul on August 2007 and the collective determination expressed at the Jirga to bring sustainable peace to the region, including by addressing the terrorist threat, and expressing its support for the relevant follow-up processes,

“Recalling its resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, its resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, and its resolution 1612 (2005) on children and armed conflict, and taking note with appreciation of the seventh report of the Secretary-General (S/2007/757) on Children and Armed Conflict of 21 December 2007,

“1.   Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 6 March 2008 (S/2008/159);

“2.   Expresses its appreciation for the United Nations long-term commitment to work with the Government and the people of Afghanistan;

“3.   Decides to extend the mandate of UNAMA, as defined in its resolutions 1662 (2006) and 1746 (2007), until 23 March 2009;

“4.   Decides further that UNAMA and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, within their mandate and guided by the principle of reinforcing Afghan ownership and leadership, will lead the international civilian efforts to, inter alia:

(a)   promote, as co-chair of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB), more coherent support by the international community to the Afghan Government and the adherence to the principles of aid effectiveness enumerated in the Afghanistan Compact, including through mobilization of resources, coordination of the assistance provided by international donors and organizations, and direction of the contributions of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, in particular for counter-narcotics, reconstruction and development activities;

(b)   strengthen the cooperation with ISAF at all levels and throughout the country, in accordance with their existing mandates, in order to improve civil-military coordination, to facilitate the timely exchange of information and to ensure coherence between the activities of national and international security forces and of civilian actors in support of an Afghan-led development and stabilization process, including through engagement with provincial reconstruction teams and engagement with non-governmental organizations;

(c)   through a strengthened and expanded presence throughout the country, provide political outreach, promote at the local level the implementation of the Compact, of the ANDS and of the National Drugs Control Strategy, and facilitate inclusion in and understanding of the Government’s policies;

(d)   provide good offices to support, if requested by the Afghan Government, the implementation of Afghan-led reconciliation programmes, within the framework of the Afghan Constitution and with full respect of the implementation of measures introduced by the Security Council in its resolution 1267 (1999) and other relevant resolutions of the Council;

(e)   support efforts, including through the Independent Directorate for Local Governance, to improve governance and the rule of law and to combat corruption, in particular at subnational level, and to promote development initiatives at the local level with a view to helping bring the benefits of peace and deliver services in a timely and sustainable manner;

(f)   play a central coordinating role to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles and with a view to building the capacity of the Afghan Government, including by providing effective support to national and local authorities in assisting and protecting internally displaced persons and to creating conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons;

(g)   continue, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to cooperate with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), to cooperate also withrelevantinternational and localnon-governmental organizations,to monitor the situation of civilians, to coordinate efforts to ensure their protection and to assist in the full implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights provisions of the Afghan Constitution and international treaties to which Afghanistan is a state party, in particular those regarding the full enjoyment by women of their human rights;

(h)   support, at the request of the Afghan authorities, the electoral process, in particular through the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission (AIEC), by providing technical assistance, coordinating other international donors, agencies and organizations providing assistance and channelling existing and additional funds earmarked to support the process;

(i)   support regional cooperation to work towards a stable and prosperous Afghanistan;

“5.   Calls upon all Afghan and international parties to coordinate with UNAMA in the implementation of its mandate and in efforts to promote the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel throughout the country;

“6.   Stresses the importance of strengthening and expanding the presence of UNAMA and other United Nations agencies, funds and programmes in the provinces, and encourages the Secretary-General to pursue current efforts to finalize the necessary arrangements to address the security issues associated with such strengthening and expansion;

“7.   Calls on the Afghan Government, and the international community and international organizations, to implement the Afghanistan Compact and its annexes in full, and stresses in this context the importance of meeting the benchmarks and timelines of the Compact for progress on security, governance, rule of law and human rights, and economic and social development, as well as the cross-cutting issue of counter-narcotics;

“8.   Reaffirms the central role played by the JCMB in coordinating, facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the Compact, stresses the need to strengthen its authority and capacity to, inter alia, measure progress towards the benchmarks outlined in the Afghanistan Compact and facilitate the coordination of international assistance in support of the ANDS, and calls upon all relevant actors to cooperate with the JCMB in this regard, including by reporting assistance programmes to the Afghan Government’s aid coordination unit and to the JCMB;

“9.   Welcomes the progress made by the Afghan Government in the finalization of the ANDS, looks forward to its launch, and stresses the importance, in this context, of adequate resource mobilization, including through the fulfilment of the pledges made at the London Conference, possible new pledges and increased assistance to the core budget;

“10.  Notes with interest the intention, expressed by JCMB members at the Political Directors Meeting on Afghanistan held in Tokyo on 5 February 2008, to prepare an international conference to review progress on the implementation of the Afghanistan Compact, welcomes the offer of France to host such conference in Paris in June 2008, and requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council on its outcome and to include in this report, if necessary, further recommendations concerning UNAMA’s mandate;

“11.  Calls upon the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, including the International Security Assistance Force and Operation Enduring Freedom coalition, in accordance with their respective designated responsibilities as they evolve, to continue to address the threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, illegally armed groups, criminals and those involved in the narcotics trade;

“12.  Condemns in the strongest terms all attacks, including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks, suicide attacks and abductions, targeting civilians and Afghan and international forces and their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan, and condemns further the use by the Taliban and other extremist groups of civilians as human shields;

“13.  Reiterates its concern about all civilian casualties, calls for compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law and for all appropriate steps to be taken to ensure the protection of civilians, and recognizes in this context the robust efforts taken by ISAF and other international forces to minimize the risk of civilian casualties, notably the continuous review of tactics and procedures and the conduct of after-action reviews in cooperation with the Afghan Government in cases where civilian casualties have reportedly occurred;

“14.  Expresses its strong concern about the recruitment and use of children by Taliban forces in Afghanistan as well as the killing and maiming of children as a result of the conflict, reiterates its strong condemnation of the recruitment and use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law and all other violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict, and stresses the importance of implementing Security Council resolution 1612 (2005); in this context, requests the Secretary-General to strengthen the child protection component of UNAMA, in particular through the appointment of child protection advisers;

“15.  Stresses the importance of increasing, in a comprehensive framework, the functionality, professionalism and accountability of the Afghan security sector through training, mentoring and empowerment efforts, in order to accelerate progress towards the goal of self-sufficient and ethnically balanced Afghan security forces providing security and ensuring the rule of law throughout the country;

“16.  Welcomes in this context the continued progress in the development of the Afghan National Army and its improved ability to plan and undertake operations, and encourages sustained training efforts, including through the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs), and advise in developing a sustainable defence planning process as well as assistance in defence reform initiatives;

“17.  Calls for further efforts to enhance the capabilities of the Afghan National Police in order to reinforce the authority of the Afghan Government throughout the country, welcomes the increasing role played by the International Police Coordination Board in policy setting and coordination, and stresses the importance, in this context, of the contribution of the European Union through its police mission (EUPOL Afghanistan);

“18.  Calls for further progress in the implementation by the Afghan Government, with support from the international community, of the programme of disbandment of illegal armed groups (DIAG);

“19.  Expresses its concern at the serious harm that increasing opium cultivation, production and trafficking causes to the security, development and governance of Afghanistan as well as to the region and internationally; calls on the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to accelerate the implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy as discussed at the JCMB meeting held in Tokyo in February 2008, in particular at the local level, and to mainstream counter-narcotics throughout national programmes; encourages additional international support for the four priorities identified in that Strategy, including through contributions to the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund;

“20.  Calls upon States to strengthen international and regional cooperation to counter the threat to the international community posed by the illicit production and trafficking of drugs originated in Afghanistan, including through border management cooperation in drug control and cooperation for the fight against the illicit trafficking in drugs and precursors and against money-laundering linked to such trafficking, taking into account the outcome of the Second Ministerial Conference on Drug Trafficking Routes from Afghanistan organized by the Government of the Russian Federation in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime held in Moscow from 26 to 28 June 2006 (S/2006/598), within the framework of the Paris Pact initiative;

“21.  Welcomes the adoption by the Afghan authorities, in accordance with the outcome of the Rome Conference on the Rule of Law in Afghanistan, of the National Justice Programme launched at the JCMB meeting held in Tokyo in February 2008, and stresses the importance of its full and timely implementation by all the relevant actors in order to accelerate the establishment of a fair and transparent justice system, strengthen the rule of law throughout the country and eliminate impunity;

“22.  Stresses in this context the importance of further progress in the reconstruction and reform of the prison sector in Afghanistan, in order to improve the respect for the rule of law and human rights therein;

“23.  Notes with concern the effects of widespread corruption on security, good governance, counter-narcotics efforts and economic development, and calls on the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to vigorously lead the fight against corruption and to enhance its efforts to establish a more effective, accountable and transparent administration;

“24.  Encourages all Afghan institutions, including the executive and legislative branches, to work in a spirit of cooperation, calls on the Afghan Government to pursue continued legislative and public administration reform in order to ensure good governance, full representation and accountability at both national and subnational levels, stresses the need for further international efforts to provide technical assistance in this area, and recalls the role of the Senior Appointments Panel in accordance with the Afghanistan Compact;

“25.  Encourages the international community to assist the Government of Afghanistan in making capacity-building and human resources development a cross-cutting priority;

“26.  Notes the leading role that the Afghan institutions will play in the organization of the next elections, encourages the Afghan Government, with support from the international community, to accelerate the planning and preparation of such elections, stresses the need to establish a permanent Civil Voter Registry (CVR) in accordance with the Afghanistan Compact, and emphasizes the importance of free, fair, inclusive and transparent elections in order to sustain the democratic progress of the country;

“27.  Calls for full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and international humanitarian law throughout Afghanistan, notes with concern the increasing restrictions on freedom of media, commends the AIHRC for its courageous efforts to monitor respect for human rights in Afghanistan as well as to foster and protect these rights and to promote the emergence of a pluralistic civil society, and stresses the importance of full cooperation with the AIHRC by all relevant actors;

“28.  Recognizes the significant progress achieved on gender equality in Afghanistan in recent years, strongly condemns continuing forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, stresses the importance of implementing Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), and requests the Secretary-General to continue to include in its reports to the Security Council relevant information on the process of integration of women into the political, economic and social life of Afghanistan;

“29.  Calls for enhanced efforts to ensure the full implementation of the Action Plan on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation in accordance with the Afghanistan Compact, without prejudice to the implementation of measures introduced by the Security Council in its resolution 1267 (1999) of 15 October 1999 and other relevant resolutions of the Security Council;

“30.  Welcomes the cooperation of the Afghan Government and UNAMA with the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) with the implementation of resolution 1735 (2006), including by identifying individuals and entities participating in the financing or support of acts or activities of Al-Qaida and the Taliban using proceeds derived from illicit cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotic drugs and their precursors, and encourages the continuation of such cooperation;

“31.  Welcomes ongoing efforts by the Government of Afghanistan and its neighbouring and regional partners to foster trust and cooperation with each other, including recent cooperation initiatives developed by regional organizations, and stresses the importance of increasing cooperation between Afghanistan and the partners against the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other extremist groups, in promoting peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and in fostering cooperation in the economic and development sectors as a means to achieve the full integration of Afghanistan into regional dynamics and the global economy;

“32.  Calls for strengthening the process of regional economic cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional trade, to increase foreign investments and to develop infrastructure, noting Afghanistan’s historic role as a land bridge in Asia;

“33.  Recognizes the importance of voluntary, safe, orderly return and sustainable reintegration of the remaining Afghan refugees for the stability of the country and the region, and calls for continued and enhanced international assistance in this regard;

“34.  Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council every six months on developments in Afghanistan, in addition to the report requested in paragraph 10 of this resolution;

“35.  Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”

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For information media • not an official record