Resolution 2557 (2020)
Adopted by the Security Council on 18 December 2020
The Security Council,
Recalling its previous resolutions on international terrorism and the threat it
poses to Afghanistan, in particular its resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000), 1363
(2001), 1373 (2001), 1390 (2002), 1452 (2002), 1455 (2003), 1526 (2004), 1566
(2004), 1617 (2005), 1624 (2005), 1699 (2006), 1730 (2006), 1735 (2006), 1822
(2008), 1904 (2009), 1988 (2011), 1989 (2011), 2082 (2012), 2083 (2012), 2133
(2014), 2160 (2014), 2255 (2015), 2501 (2019), and 2513 (2020) and the relevant
statements of its President,
Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial
integrity and national unity of Afghanistan,
Reaffirming its support for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan,
Emphasizing its serious concern about the security situation in Afghanistan,
including ongoing violent activities by the Taliban and associated groups, including
the Haqqani Network, and ongoing terrorist activities by Al -Qaida, ISIL, and their
affiliates,
Reiterating its support for the fight against illicit production and trafficking of
drugs from, and its support for the fight against illicit production and tr afficking of
drugs from, and chemical precursors to, Afghanistan, acknowledging that illicit
proceeds of the drug trafficking significantly contribute to the financial resources of
the Taliban and its associates, and recognizing the threats that the Taliba n, illegal
armed groups and criminals involved in narcotics trade, and illicit exploitation of
natural resources, continue to pose to the security and stability of Afghanistan,
Urging an immediate reduction in violence leading to a ceasefire to create an
environment conducive to peace negotiations,
Reiterating the need to ensure that the present sanctions regime contributes
effectively to ongoing efforts to advance reconciliation to bring about peace, stability,
and security in Afghanistan, including the importance of the sanctions review in full
accordance with resolution 2513,
Welcoming efforts by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban in
facilitating intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha, Qatar, on 12 September 2020, and
encouraging the parties to make rapid progress on a permanent and comprehensive
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ceasefire, and a political settlement that ends the conflict in Afghanistan and ensures
that Afghanistan is never again a safe haven for international terrorism,
Recognizing that, notwithstanding accelerated efforts to make progress toward
reconciliation, the situation in Afghanista n remains a threat to international peace and
security, and reaffirming the need to combat this threat by all means, in accordance
with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including applicable
human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, stressing in this regard the important
role the United Nations plays in this effort,
Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
Measures
1. Decides that all States shall continue to take the measures required by
paragraph 1 of resolution 2255 with respect to individuals and entities designated
prior to the date of adoption of resolution 1988 (2011) as the Taliban, as well as other
individuals, groups, undertakings and entitie s associated with the Taliban in
constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan as designated
by the Committee established in paragraph 35 of resolution 1988 (“the Committee”)
in the 1988 Sanction List (“the List”);
2. Decides, in order to assist the Committee in fulfilling its mandate, that the
1267/1988 Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team (Monitoring Team),
established pursuant to paragraph 7 of resolution 1526 (2004), shall continue to
support the Committee for a period of twelve months from the date of expiration of
the current mandate in December 2020, with the mandate set forth in the annex to this
resolution, and further requests the Secretary -General to make the necessary
arrangements to this effect, and highlights the importance of ensuring that the
Monitoring Team receives the necessary administrative and substantive support to
effectively, safely and in a timely manner fulfil its mandate, including with regard to
duty of care in high risk environments, under the direction of the Committee, a
subsidiary organ of the Security Council;
3. Directs the Monitoring Team to gather information on instances of
non-compliance with the measures imposed in resolution 2255 (2015) and to keep the
Committee informed of such instances, as well as to facilitate, upon request by
Member States, assistance on capacity-building, encourages Committee members to
address issues of non-compliance and bring them to the attention of the Monitoring
Team or the Committee, and further directs the Monitoring Team to provide
recommendations to the Committee on actions taken to respond to non -compliance;
4. Decides to actively review the implementation of the measures outlined in
this resolution and to consider adjustments, as necessary, to support peace and
stability in Afghanistan;
5. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
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Annex
In accordance with paragraph 3 of thi s resolution, the Monitoring Team shall
operate under the direction of the Committee and shall have the following
responsibilities:
(a) To submit, in writing, an annual comprehensive, independent report to the
Committee, on implementation by Member States of the measures referred to in
paragraph 1 of this resolution, including specific recommendations for improved
implementation of the measures and possible new measures;
(b) To assist the Committee in regularly reviewing names on the List,
including by undertaking travel on behalf of the Committee as a subsidiary organ of
the Security Council and contact with Member States, with a view to developing the
Committee’s record of the facts and circumstances relating to a listing;
(c) To assist the Committee in following up on requests to Member States for
information, including with respect to implementation of the measures referred to in
paragraph 1 of this resolution;
(d) To submit a comprehensive programme of work to the Committee for its
review and approval, as necessary, in which the Monitoring Team should detail the
activities envisaged in order to fulfil its responsibilities, including proposed travel on
behalf of the Committee;
(e) To gather information on behalf of the Committee on instances of reported
non-compliance with the measures referred to in paragraph 1 of this resolution,
including by, but not limited to, collating information from Member States and
engaging with related parties, pursuing case studies, both on its own initiative and
upon the Committee’s request, and to provide recommendations to the Committee on
such cases of non-compliance for its review;
(f) To present to the Committee recommendations, which could be used by
Member States to assist them with the implementation of the measures referred to in
paragraph 1 of this resolution and in preparing proposed additions to the List;
(g) To assist the Committee in its consideration of proposals for listing,
including by compiling and circulating to the Committee information relevant to the
proposed listing, and preparing a draft narrative summary referred to in paragraph 26
of resolution 2255 (2015);
(h) To bring to the Committee’s attention new or noteworthy circumstances
that may warrant a delisting, such as publicly reported information on a deceased
individual;
(i) To consult with Member States in advance of travel to selected Member
States, based on its programme of work as approved by the Committee;
(j) To encourage Member States to submit names and additional identifying
information for inclusion on the List, as instructed by the Committee;
(k) To consult with the Committee, the Government of Afghanistan, or any
relevant Member States, as appropriate, when identifying individuals or entities that
could be added to, or removed from, the List;
(l) To present to the Committee additional identifying and other information
to assist the Committee in its efforts to keep the List as updated and accurate as
possible;
(m) To collate, assess, monitor and report on and make recommendations
regarding implementation of the measures, including by key Afghan government
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institutions and any capacity assistance requirements; to pursue case studies, as
appropriate; and to explore in depth any other relevant issues as directed by the
Committee;
(n) To consult with Member States and other relevant organizations and
bodies, including United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and
other United Nations agencies, and engage in regular dialogue with representatives in
New York and in capitals, taking into account their comments, especially regarding
any issues that might be reflected in the Monitoring Team’s reports referred to in
paragraph (a) of this annex;
(o) To cooperate closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) and engage in a regular dialogue with Member States and other relevant
organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Collective
Security Treaty Organization, and the Combined Maritime Forces, on the nexus
between narcotics trafficking and those individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities
eligible for listing under paragraph 1 of resolution 2255 (2015), and report as
requested by the Committee;
(p) To provide an update to the special report of the Monitoring Team pursuant
to resolution 2160 (2014) Annex (p), as part of its regular comprehensive report ;
(q) To consult with Member States’ intelligence and security services,
including through regional forums, in order to facilitate the sharing of information
and to strengthen enforcement of the measures;
(r) To consult with relevant representatives of t he private sector, including
financial institutions, to learn about the practical implementation of the assets freeze
and to develop recommendations for the strengthening of that measure;
(s) To cooperate closely with the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee
established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) and other relevant
United Nations counter-terrorism bodies in providing information on the measures
taken by Member States on kidnapping and hostage-taking for ransom and on relevant
trends and developments in this area;
(t) To consult with the Government of Afghanistan, Member States, relevant
representatives of the private secto r, including financial institutions and relevant
non-financial businesses and professions, and with relevant international
organizations, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and its regional
bodies, to raise awareness of the sanctions and to a ssist in the implementation of the
measures in accordance with FATF Recommendation 6 on asset freezing and its
related guidance;
(u) To consult with the Government of Afghanistan, Member States, relevant
representatives of the private sector and other int ernational organizations, including
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport
Association (IATA), the World Customs Organization (WCO), and INTERPOL to
raise awareness of and learn about the practical implementation of the travel ban,
including the use of advanced passenger information provided by civil aircraft
operators to Member States, and assets freeze and to develop recommendations for
the strengthening of the implementation of these measures;
(v) To consult with the Government of Afghanistan, Member States,
international and regional organizations and relevant representatives of the private
sector on the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to peace, security
and stability in Afghanistan, to raise awareness of the threat and to develop, in line
with their responsibilities under paragraph (a) of this annex, recommendations for
appropriate measures, to counter this threat;
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(w) To work with relevant international and regional organizations in order to
promote awareness of, and compliance with, the measures;
(x) To cooperate with INTERPOL and Member States to obtain photographs,
physical descriptions and, in accordance with their national legislation, other
biometric and biographic data of listed individuals when available for inclusion in
INTERPOL-United Nations Security Council Special Notices and to exchange
information on emerging threats;
(y) To assist other subsidiary bodies of the Security Council, and their expert
panels, upon request, with enhancing their cooperation with INTERPOL, referred to
in resolution 1699 (2006);
(z) To assist the Committee in facilitating assistance in capacity -building for
enhancing implementation of the measures, upon request by Member States;
(aa) To report to the Committee, on a regular basis or when the Committee so
requests, through oral and/or written briefings on the work of the Monitoring Team,
including its visits to Member States and its acti vities;
(bb) To study and report to the Committee on the current nature of the threat of
individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with the Taliban, in
constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan and the best
measures to confront it, including by developing a dialogue with relevant scholars,
academic bodies and experts according to the priorities identified by the Committee;
(cc) To gather information, including from the Government of Afghanistan and
relevant Member States, on travel that takes place under a granted exemption,
pursuant to paragraph 20 of resolution 2255 (2015), and to report to the Committee,
as appropriate; and
(dd) Any other responsibility identified by the Committee.
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