S/RES/1806 (2008)
Security Council Distr.: General
20 March 2008
Original: English
08-27931 (E) 200308
*0827931*
Resolution 1806 (2008)
Adopted by the Security Council at its 5857th meeting, on 20 March 2008
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
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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 7th 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
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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 civilmilitary
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 with relevant international and local
non-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
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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;
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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
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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 crosscutting
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
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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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