UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Afghanistan

 

UN News
In Focus: Afghanistan
https://news.un.org/en/focus/afghanistan
A one-stop guide to UN issues in the news, with easy access to statements,
resolutions and other essential resources.

UN Women – In focus: After August – Voices of Afghan women two years after the Taliban takeover (14 August 2023):
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2023/08/in-focus-after-august-voices-of-afghan-women-two-years-after-the-taliban-takeover

Afghan girls’ voices for education echo loudly through new global campaign (15 August 2023): https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1139737

OCHA – Afghanistan: “If you educate a woman, you educate the nation.” (17 April 2023): https://bit.ly/3MR9VH6

Afghanistan: UN forced to make ‘appalling choice’ following ban on women nationals (11 April 2023): https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135512

Top officials strongly condemn Taliban ban on Afghan women working for UN (5 April 2023): https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135392

The UN in Afghanistan calls for an immediate end to draconian restrictions on the rights of women & girls by the de facto authorities (8 March 2023): https://unama.unmissions.org/un-afghanistan-calls-immediate-end-draconian-restrictions-rights-women-girls-de-facto-authorities

Afghanistan: Top UN delegation tells Taliban to end confinement, deprivation, abuse of women’s rights (21 January 2022): https://bit.ly/3ZT0ond

UN Delegation led by Deputy Secretary-General calls upon Afghanistan’s De Facto Taliban Authorities to reverse course on recent decrees limiting women’s, girls’ rights (DSG/10, 20 January 2023): https://press.un.org/en/2023/dsg10.doc.htm

OCHA – Afghanistan: “We are dead and yet alive” (9 January 2023):
https://bit.ly/3vXCBEF

Women’s participation in aid delivery must continue: Statement by Inter-Agency Standing Committee Principals on Afghanistan (28 December 2022): https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-afghanistan-womens-participation-aid-delivery

OCHA – UN condemns reported ban on women working for NGOs and International Organizations (24 December 2022): https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/un-condemns-reported-ban-women-working-ngos-and-international-organizations

OCHA – Six things you need to know about Afghanistan right now (20 December 2022):
https://unocha.exposure.co/six-things-you-need-to-know-about-afghanistan-right-now

UNHCR – Five things you should know about Afghanistan (15 August 2022):
https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2022/8/62fa24ac4/

UN Women – In focus: Women in Afghanistan one year after the Taliban takeover
(15 August 2022): https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/08/in-focus-women-in-afghanistan-one-year-after-the-taliban-takeover

IOM – Renewing Our Commitment to the People of Afghanistan (15 August 2022):
https://www.iom.int/news/renewing-our-commitment-people-afghanistan

 

UN Entities

 

General Assembly

 

Security Council Meetings on Afghanistan

 

Selected UN Documents

  • UNAMA key documents and reports:
    https://unama.unmissions.org/key-documents-and-reports
  • A/HRC/53/21 (20 June 2023): Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan – Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls (Advance edited version): https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5321-situation-women-and-girls-afghanistan-report-special-rapporteur
  • S/RES/2681 (2023): https://undocs.org/S/RES/2681(2023)
    on condemning the decision of the Taliban to ban Afghan women from working for the UN in Afghanistan
  • S/2023/207 (20 March 2023): Letter dated 20 March 2023 from the Permanent Representatives of Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: https://undocs.org/S/2023/207
    Transmits summary note of the meeting of the Security Council Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security on Afghanistan, held on 26 Jan. 2023.
  • S/RES/2679 (2023): Resolution adopted by the Security Council at its 9283rd meeting, on 16 March 2023: https://undocs.org/S/RES/2679(2023)
    on request to conduct an independent assessment providing recommendations to address current challenges faced by Afghanistan
  • S/2023/27 (9 January 2023): Letter dated 6 January 2023 from the Permanent Representatives of Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: https://undocs.org/S/2023/27
    Transmits, as co-chairs of the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security, response to recent decisions by the Taliban affecting women’s rights in Afghanistan.
  • S/2022/1009 (29 December 2022): Letter dated 27 December 2022 from the Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: https://undocs.org/S/2022/1009
    Transmits, on behalf of the 15 signatories from former, current and incoming Security Council members, statement of shared commitments on women and peace and security and joint press stakeouts on Afghanistan, Colombia, Haiti and Yemen and held in advance of the annual open debate on women and peace and security in 2022.
  • A/HRC/51/6 (9 September 2022): Situation of human rights in Afghanistan: report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/51/6
    Submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 48/1, outlines human rights developments in Afghanistan since the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, on 15 Aug. 2021, until July 2022.
  • S/2022/383 (11 May 2022): Letter dated 10 May 2022 from the Permanent Representatives of Ireland and Mexico to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: https://undocs.org/S/2022/383
    Transmits, as co-chairs of the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security, response to recent decisions by the Taliban affecting women’s rights in Afghanistan.
  • S/2022/171 (1 March 2022): Letter dated 1 March 2022 from the Permanent Representatives of Ireland, Mexico and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: https://undocs.org/S/2022/171
    Transmits summary note of the meeting of the Security Council Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security on Afghanistan, held on 18 Feb. 2022.
  • A/HRC/49/90 (12 January 2022): Situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and technical assistance achievements in the field of human rights: report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://undocs.org/A/HRC/49/90
    Prepared in cooperation with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), covers the period 1 Dec. 2020 to 30 Nov. 2021.
  • S/2021/1101 (10 January 2022): Letter dated 23 December 2021 from the Permanent Representatives of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2021/1101
    Transmits resolution adopted at the 17th extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, held in Islamabad, 19 Dec. 2021.
  • S/2021/1057 (31 December 2021): Letter dated 16 December 2021 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee Established pursuant to Resolution 1988 (2011) addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2021/1057
    Transmits report of the Committee’s activities for 2021.
  • S/2021/770 (3 September 2021): Letter dated 2 September 2021 from the Permanent Representatives of Ireland, Mexico and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/S/2021/770
    Transmits summary note of the meeting of the Security Council Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security on Afghanistan, held on 19 Aug. 2021.
  • S/2021/739 (19 August 2021): Letter dated 19 August 2021 from the Permanent Representative of Ireland and the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2021/739
    Urges the Security Council to place the utmost priority on protecting and vindicating the rights of Afghan women and girls in all decisions and action on Afghanistan’s future.
  • S/2021/728 (13 August 2021): Identical letters dated 13 August 2021 from the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2021/728
    Transmits final Chair’s statement issued at the end of the international meeting on Afghanistan, held in Doha, 10 and 12 Aug. 2021.
  • A/75/975-S/2021/677 (28 July 2021): Letter dated 23 July 2021 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/75/975
    Transmits joint statement by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan following their meeting on the developments in Afghanistan, held in Tashkent, 16 July 2021.
  • S/2021/662 (16 July 2021): Children and armed conflict in Afghanistan: report of the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/S/2021/662
    5th report submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions; contains information on grave violations committed against children between 1 Jan. 2019-31 Dec. 2020.
  • A/75/831-S/2021/307 (1 April 2021): Letter dated 29 March 2021 from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/75/831
    Transmits joint statement of the extended “Troika” on peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, adopted at the regular meeting of the representatives of the Russian Federation, China, United States and Pakistan, held in Moscow, 18 Mar. 2021.
  • A/HRC/46/69 (15 January 2021) : Situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and technical assistance achievements in the field of human rights : report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://undocs.org/A/HRC/46/69
    Prepared in cooperation with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), covers the period 1 Jan. to 30 Nov. 2020.
  • A/75/658-S/2020/1190 (28 December 2021): Letter dated 10 December 2020 from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/75/658
    Transmits, on behalf of the States members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), joint statement of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the CSTO member States on the situation in Afghanistan.
  • S/2020/1211 (31 December 2020): Letter dated 15 December 2020 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee Established pursuant to Resolution 1988 (2011) addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2020/1211
    Transmits report of the Committee’s activities for 2020.
  • S/2019/970 (19 December 2019): Letter dated 18 December 2019 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee Established pursuant to Resolution 1988 (2011) addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2019/970
    Transmits report of the Committee’s activities for 2019.
  • S/2019/727 (10 September 2019): Children and armed conflict in Afghanistan: report of the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/S/2019/727
    4th report submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions; contains information on grave violations committed against children between 1 Jan. 2015-31 Dec. 2018.
  • A/73/961-S/2019/602 (2 August 2019): Letter dated 26 July 2019 from the representatives of China, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and the United States of America to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/73/961
    Transmits the “Four-Party Joint Statement on the Afghan Peace Process”, adopted at the consultation between China, the Russian Federation, the United States and Pakistan, held in Beijing, 11 July 2019.
  • S/2019/410 (20 May 2019): Letter dated 14 May 2019 from the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2019/410
    Transmits declaration on the consultative peace loya jirga, held in Kabul, 29 Apr.-3 May 2019.
  • A/73/870-S/2019/374 (14 May 2019): Letter dated 2 May 2019 from the Permanent Representatives of China and the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/73/870
    Transmit trilateral consensus on the Afghan peace process, adopted at the meeting of China, the Russian Federation and the United States on Afghanistan, held in Moscow, 25 Apr. 2019.
  • S/2019/376 (10 May 2019): Letter dated 9 May 2019 from the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2019/376
    Transmits, on behalf of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Norway and the European Union, joint statement adopted at the Europe-United States meeting on supporting peace in Afghanistan, held in London, 23 Apr. 2019.
  • A/HRC/40/45 (28 January 2019): The situation of human rights in Afghanistan and technical assistance achievements in the field of human rights: report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://undocs.org/A/HRC/40/45
    Prepared in cooperation with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), covers the period 1 Jan. to 30 Nov. 2018.
  • S/2018/1118 (31 December 2018): Letter dated 14 December 2018 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee Established pursuant to Resolution 1988 (2011) addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2018/1118
    Transmits report of the Committee’s activities for 2018.
  • A/HRC/37/45 (21 February 2018): Situation of human rights in Afghanistan and technical assistance achievements in the field of human rights: report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://undocs.org/A/HRC/37/45
    Prepared in cooperation with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), covers the period 1 Jan. to 30 Nov. 2017.
  • S/2018/419 (3 May 2018): Report of the Security Council Mission to Afghanistan, 12-15 January 2018: http://undocs.org/S/2018/419
    Annexes (p. 10-15): 1. Terms of reference of the Security Council Mission to Afghanistan — 2. Schedule of meetings of the Security Council Mission to Afghanistan.
  • A/72/830-S/2018/288 (17 April 2018): Letter dated 29 March 2018 from the Permanent Representatives of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/72/830
    Transmits Declaration of the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan: Peace Process, Security Cooperation and Regional Connectivity, adopted on 27 Mar. 2018.
  • S/2018/11 (5 January 2018): Letter dated 22 December 2017 from the Permanent Representatives of Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Uruguay to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/S/2018/11
    Transmits summary note of the meeting of the Security Council Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security on Afghanistan, held on 5 Dec. 2017.
  • S/2018/7 (3 January 2018): Letter dated 2 January 2018 from the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/S/2018/7
    Transmits concept note for the Security Council debate on the topic “Building regional partnership in Afghanistan and Central Asia as a model for the security-development nexus”, to be held on 19 Jan. 2018.
  • S/2017/1084 (29 December 2017): Letter dated 20 December 2017 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to Resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and Associated Individuals, Groups, Undertakings and Entities addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2017/1084
    Transmits report of the Committee’s activities for 2017.
  • A/72/312-S/2017/696 (10 August 2017): Special report on the strategic review of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: report of the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/72/312
    Submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2344 (2017).
  • S/AC.51/2016/1 (11 May 2016): Conclusions on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan: Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict:
    http://undocs.org/S/AC.51/2016/1
    “Annex: Statement by the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations on the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan (S/2015/336), made at the 55th formal meeting of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict”: p. 9-10.
  • S/2014/887 (11 December 2014): Letter dated 11 December 2014 from the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2014/887
    Transmits the Agreement between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Afghanistan on the status of NATO forces and NATO personnel conducting mutually agreed NATO-led activities in Afghanistan.
  • A/66/867-S/2012/532 (12 July 2012): Letter dated 2012/07/09 from the representatives of Afghanistan and Japan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: http://undocs.org/A/66/867
    Transmits the conclusions of the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan held on 8 July 2012, entitled “The Tokyo Declaration : Partnership for Self-Reliance in Afghanistan From Transition to Transformation” and the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework.
  • A/66/601-S/2011/767 (12 December 2011): Letter dated 2011/12/07 from the Permanent Representatives of Afghanistan and Turkey to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary General: http://undocs.org/A/66/601
    Transmits the text of the Istanbul Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan.
  • A/66/597-S/2011/762 (9 December 2011): Letter dated 2011/12/06 from the Permanent Representatives of Afghanistan and Germany to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary General: http://undocs.org/A/66/597
    Transmits conclusions of the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn on 5 Dec. 2011.
  • S/2010/564 (1 November 2010): Report of the Security Council Mission to Afghanistan, 21 to 24 June 2010: http://undocs.org/S/2010/564
  • S/2006/90 (9 Feb. 2006): Letter dated 2006/02/09 from the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2006/90
    Transmits the Afghanistan Compact, adopted at the conclusion of the international London Conference on Afghanistan, held 31 Jan.-1 Feb. 2006.
    Annexes (p. 9-19): 1. Benchmarks and timelines — 2. Improving the effectiveness of aid to Afghanistan — 3. Coordination and monitoring — 4. Participants at the London Conference on Afghanistan.
  • Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan pending the Re-Establishment of Permanent Government Institutions (S/2001/1154, 5 December 2001): http://undocs.org/S/2001/1154
    Transmits Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan Pending the Re-establishment of Permanent Government Institutions, signed in Bonn, 5 Dec. 2001, by the participants in the UN Talks on Afghanistan. Presents general and final provisions of the interim authority, its legal framework and judicial system, interim administration, and the Special Independent Commission of the Convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga. Includes 4 annexes which set out i) international security force, ii) role of the United Nations during the interim period, iii) request to the United Nations by the participants at the UN Talks on Afghanistan, and iv) composition of the interim administration. 
  • Further documents: https://bit.ly/2RSX5On
  • UN Member States on the Record: Afghanistan
    https://www.un.org/en/library/unms
    United Nations Member States on the Record provides access to selected documents reflecting the views of United Nations Member States.

 

Selected Statements and Speeches by UN Officials

 

Selected UN Reports & Publications

 

Further Information

 

Selected Non-UN Sources

 

17 August 2023
not an official document – for information only
https://unric.org/en/unric-library-backgrounder-afghanistan/

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