Question of Human Rights in Afghanistan

A/RES/54/185View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 116c Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives, published in 2000.

What other versions does this mandate have?

4 versions · 2000–2003

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/57/234

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2003	A/RES/57/234	Question of human rights in Afghanistan	2,485	36%Compare
2002	A/RES/56/176	Question of human rights in Afghanistan	2,083	31%Compare
2001	A/RES/55/119	Question of human rights in Afghanistan	1,906	79%Compare
2000	A/RES/54/185	Question of human rights in Afghanistan	1,575	–

What subjects does this mandate have?

17 subjects

Afghan Refugees Afghanistan Afghanistan Situation Arms Transfers Civilian Persons Cultural Property Detained Persons Diplomats' Security Human Rights Human Rights in Armed Conflicts Human Rights Violations Humanitarian Assistance Internal Security Political Conditions Prisoner Treatment Staff Security Women's Rights

What’s in this document?

36 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan¹¹ and of the conclusions and recommendations contained therein;

¹¹See A/54/422.

Strongly condemns the mass killings and systematic human rights violations against civilians and prisoners of war, including in the areas of Mazar-e Sharif and Bamian, and notes with alarm the resumption by the Taliban of the wider conflict during the past summer, especially in the Shamali Valley, resulting in the massive, forced displacement of the civilian population, in particular of women and children;

Condemns the widespread violations and abuses of human rights and humanitarian law, including the rights to life, liberty and security of person, freedom from torture and from other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, freedom of opinion, expression, religion, association and movement, the forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict and, in particular, the grave human rights violations against women and girls;

Reiterates its condemnation of the killings of Iranian diplomats and the correspondent of the Islamic Republic News Agency by the Taliban, which constituted flagrant violations of established international law, as well as of the attacks on and killing of United Nations personnel in Taliban-held territories of Afghanistan, and calls upon the Taliban to fulfil their stated commitment to cooperate in urgent investigations of these heinous crimes with a view to bringing those responsible to justice;

Notes with deep concern:

The persisting pattern of human rights violations in Afghanistan;

The continuing and substantiated reports of human rights violations against women and girls, including all forms of discrimination against them, notably in areas under the control of the Taliban;

The intensification of armed hostilities in Afghanistan and the complex nature of the conflict, including its ethnic, religious and political aspects, which have resulted in extensive human suffering and forced displacement, including on the grounds of ethnicity;

The continued displacement of millions of Afghan refugees to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and other countries;

The lack of major reconstruction in Afghanistan;

Also notes with deep concern the sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in several areas of Afghanistan, in particular in the Shamali and Panjshir valleys, and calls for the full implementation of the agreement on the security of United Nations personnel in Afghanistan;

Urges all States to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan, to refrain from interfering in its internal affairs and to end immediately the supply of arms, ammunition, military equipment, training or any other military support, including the provision of foreign military personnel, to all parties to the conflict;

Urges all the Afghan parties:

To respect fully all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion, in accordance with international human rights instruments;

To cease hostilities immediately, to work and cooperate fully with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan with a view to achieving a ceasefire and to implement the Tashkent Declaration on Fundamental Principles for a Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict in Afghanistan of 19 July 1999,¹² thus laying the foundation for a comprehensive political solution leading to the voluntary return of displaced persons to their homes in safety and with dignity and to the establishment of a broad-based, multi-ethnic, fully representative Government through the full exercise of the Afghan people of the right to self-determination;

¹²A/54/174–S/1999/812, annex; see Official Records of the Security Council, Fifty-fourth Year, Supplement for July, August and September 1999, document S/1999/812.

To reaffirm publicly their commitment to international human rights and principles and to recognize, protect and promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms;

To respect fully international humanitarian law, to protect civilians, to halt the use of weapons against the civilian population, to refrain from the wanton destruction of food crops and civilian property, in particular homes, to stop the laying of landmines, especially anti-personnel mines, to prohibit conscripting or enlisting children or using them to participate in hostilities in violation of international law and to ensure the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of children into society;

To provide efficient and effective remedies to the victims of grave violations and abuses of human rights and of international humanitarian law and to bring the perpetrators to trial;

To treat all suspects and convicted or detained persons in accordance with relevant international instruments and to refrain from arbitrary detention, including detention of civilian foreign nationals, and urges their captors to release them as well as non-criminal civilian prisoners;

Demands that all the Afghan parties fulfil their obligations regarding the safety of all personnel of diplomatic missions, the United Nations and other international organizations, as well as their premises in Afghanistan, and to cooperate fully and without discrimination on grounds of gender, nationality or religion with the United Nations and associated bodies and with other humanitarian organizations, agencies and non-governmental organizations;

Urges all the Afghan parties, in particular the Taliban, to bring to an end without delay all violations of human rights against women and girls and to take urgent measures to ensure:

The repeal of all legislative and other measures that discriminate against women and girls and those that impede the realization of all their human rights;

The effective participation of women in civil, cultural, economic, political and social life throughout the country;

Respect for the right of women to work and their reintegration into employment;

The right of women and girls to education without discrimination, the reopening of schools and the admission of women and girls to all levels of education;

Respect for the right of women to security of person, and that those responsible for physical attacks on women are brought to justice;

Respect for the freedom of movement of women and their effective and equal access to the facilities necessary to protect their right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;

Notes with appreciation the visit of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on violence against women, its causes and consequences, and looks forward to her conclusions and recommendations;

Also notes with appreciation the activities carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross throughout the territory of Afghanistan;

Invites the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to proceed without delay to investigate fully reports of mass killings of prisoners of war and civilians, rape and cruel treatment in Afghanistan, and calls upon the United Front and the Taliban to fulfil their stated commitment to cooperate with such investigations;

Also invites the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner to ensure that the ongoing process of deployment of the civilian affairs observers in Afghanistan is completed as soon as possible and that gender issues and the rights of children are fully taken into account in their mission;

Appeals to all States, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system, specialized agencies and other international organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to all in need as soon as the situation on the ground permits and as part of an overall effort to achieve peace;

Expresses its deep concern at reports of attacks on and looting of cultural artifacts in Afghanistan, emphasizes that all parties share the responsibility to protect their common heritage, and requests all Member States to take appropriate measures to prevent the looting of cultural artifacts and to ensure their return to Afghanistan;

Urges all the Afghan parties to extend their cooperation to the Commission on Human Rights and its Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and to all those special rapporteurs who are seeking invitations;

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

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

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents