Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan

A/RES/49/207No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, published in 1995.

What other versions does this mandate have?

16 versions · 1989–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/HRC/RES/60/2

2025A/HRC/RES/60/2Situation of human rights in AfghanistanLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/HRC/RES/57/3Situation of human rights in AfghanistanCompare with previous version
2023A/HRC/RES/54/1Situation of human rights in AfghanistanCompare with previous version
2022A/HRC/RES/51/20Situation of human rights in AfghanistanCompare with previous version
2021A/HRC/RES/48/1Situation of human rights in AfghanistanCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What does this mandate say?

27 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the cooperation that authorities in Afghanistan have extended to the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, in view of the circumstances prevailing in the country;

Also welcomes the cooperation that the authorities in Afghanistan have extended, in particular to the Coordinator for Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes Relating to Afghanistan and to international organizations, such as the specialized agencies, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross;

Urges all the Afghan parties to undertake, where appropriate under the auspices of the United Nations, all possible efforts in order to achieve a comprehensive political solution, which is the only way to bring about peace and the full restoration of human rights in Afghanistan, based on the free exercise of the right to self-determination by the people, including free and genuine elections, the cessation of armed confrontation and the creation of conditions that will permit the free return, as soon as possible, of about three million refugees to their homeland in safety and dignity, whenever they wish, and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by all Afghans;

Welcomes all the efforts towards reaching a comprehensive, peaceful political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, in particular the efforts of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan established in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 48/208 of 21 December 1993, with the mandate to canvass a broad spectrum of the leaders of Afghanistan, soliciting their views on how the United Nations can best assist Afghanistan in facilitating national rapprochement and reconstruction, and to submit its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the Secretary-General for appropriate action;

Notes with appreciation the cooperation the Afghan people and leaders have provided to the Special Mission and urges all the Afghan parties to continue to work with it with a view to achieving a comprehensive solution to the crisis in Afghanistan;

Urges both the Special Mission and the Special Rapporteur to exchange relevant information and to consult and cooperate with each other;

Invites the United Nations to offer, upon the request of the Afghan Government and with due regard to the Afghan tradition, advisory services and technical assistance concerning the drafting of a constitution, which should embody internationally accepted human rights principles, and the holding of direct elections;

Recognizes that the promotion and protection of human rights should be an essential element in the achievement of a comprehensive solution to the crisis in Afghanistan, and calls upon all the Afghan parties to respect human rights;

Urges all the Afghan parties to respect accepted humanitarian rules, as set out in the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and the Additional Protocols thereto, of 1977, to halt the use of weapons against the civilian population, to protect all civilians from acts of reprisal and violence, including ill-treatment, torture and summary executions, and to expedite the simultaneous release of prisoners wherever they may be held;

Urges the Afghan authorities to provide sufficient and effective remedies to the victims of grave human rights violations and to bring their perpetrators to trial in accordance with internationally accepted standards;

Strongly urges all the Afghan parties to ensure respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, so that their honour and dignity may be ensured in accordance with the provisions of international human rights instruments and humanitarian law;

Calls upon all States and parties concerned to make all efforts for the realization of its decision 47/428 of 16 December 1992, entitled "Prisoners of war and persons missing as a result of war in Afghanistan", and calls upon them to make all efforts for the immediate release of all prisoners of war, in particular of former Soviet prisoners of war, as provided for under article 118 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, of 12 August 1949, considering that the hostilities in which the former Soviet Union was involved have legally and effectively ended, as well as for the tracing of the many Afghans still missing as a result of the war;

Urges the unconditional release of all prisoners detained without trial on Afghan territory by rival groups, and calls for the abolition of prisons run by political parties;

Calls upon the authorities in Afghanistan to investigate thoroughly the fate of those persons who have disappeared during the conflict, to apply amnesty decrees equally to all detainees, to reduce the period during which prisoners await trial, to treat all prisoners, especially those awaiting trial or those in custody in juvenile rehabilitation centres, in accordance with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, and to apply to all suspected or convicted persons article 14, paragraphs 3 (d) and 5 to 7, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

Stresses the need for humanitarian aid deliveries to be effected through unhindered access to all main routes to Kabul;

Appeals to all Member States to provide adequate humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in order to contribute to the alleviation of the suffering of refugees and especially to the improvement of the living conditions of women and children, widows and orphans, and calls upon neighbouring countries to continue providing assistance to Afghan refugees;

Urges the international community to sustain the increasing financial efforts undertaken by humanitarian organizations, such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other organizations of the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations, to assist the Afghan refugees;

Urges the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to continue to assist the Afghan refugees in the neighbouring countries until their voluntary repatriation can be effected, without prejudice to their security and to the enjoyment of their basic economic and social rights;

Urgently appeals to all Member States and humanitarian organizations to continue to promote the implementation of the projects envisaged by the Coordinator for Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes Relating to Afghanistan and the programmes of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, especially the pilot projects for the repatriation of refugees;

Reiterates its appeals to all Member States, humanitarian organizations and all parties concerned to cooperate fully on the subject of mine detection and clearance, in order to facilitate the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes in safety and dignity;

Strongly urges all the parties to the conflict to undertake all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the personnel of humanitarian organizations involved in the implementation of the United Nations humanitarian and economic assistance programmes relating to Afghanistan and programmes of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in order to avoid further deplorable incidents such as those which have caused loss of life among that personnel;

Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to entrust the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin or Its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation with the mandate, upon the invitation and with the cooperation of the Afghan authorities, of examining ways and means to restore the Kabul Museum, including through the tracing of the country's stolen articles, to propose measures aimed at preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of artefacts belonging to the Kabul Museum and to report thereon to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization;

Recommends the translation of the report of the Special Rapporteur into the Dari and Pashtu languages;

Urges the authorities in Afghanistan to continue to extend their full cooperation to the Commission on Human Rights and its Special Rapporteur;

Calls upon the Special Rapporteur to continue to gather information about specific instances of grave human rights violations and to broaden and intensify efforts in addressing human rights violations that are specific to or primarily directed against women, in order to assure the effective protection of their human rights;

Requests the Secretary-General to give all necessary assistance to the Special Rapporteur;

Decides to keep under consideration at its fiftieth session the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, in the light of additional elements provided by the Commission on Human Rights and the Economic and Social Council.

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Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan

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