The Situation in Afghanistan

A/RES/79/317View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 36The situation in Afghanistan, published in 2025.

What other versions does this mandate have?

17 versions · 2007–2025

2025A/RES/79/317The situation in AfghanistanLatestCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/77/10The situation in AfghanistanCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/75/90The situation in AfghanistanCompare with previous version
2019A/RES/74/9The situation in AfghanistanCompare with previous version
2018A/RES/73/88The situation in AfghanistanCompare with previous version

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Who cites this mandate in the budget?

4 entities

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What subjects does this mandate have?

15 topics

Afghan Refugees Afghanistan Afghanistan Situation Counter-Terrorism Drug Control Economic Development Education Governance Human Rights Humanitarian Assistance Internal Security International Cooperation Regional Cooperation Rule of Law Social Development

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

4 reports of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2025–2026.

2026A/80/745The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General
2026A/80/658The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General
2025A/80/556The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General
2025A/80/366The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

67 operative paragraphs

Expresses deep concern over the dire economic, humanitarian and social conditions, persistent violence and the presence of terrorist groups, the absence of political inclusivity and representative decision-making, as well as violations and abuses of human rights, including those of women, girls and persons belonging to minorities since the takeover by the Taliban;

Recognizes that the health, well-being, prosperity and security of the people of Afghanistan affect the entire region and beyond;

Maintains that sustainable and lasting peace can be achieved only through long-term social, economic and political stability, which requires full respect for civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights as well as commitment to inclusive and representative governance;

Pledges its continued support to the people of Afghanistan in order to rebuild a stable, secure and economically self-sufficient State, free of terrorism, illicit narcotics, transnational organized crime, including trafficking in persons, and corruption, and to strengthen the foundations of a constitutional and inclusive government aimed at ensuring the well-being of the Afghan people as a responsible member of the international community;

Acknowledges the efforts of the international community, including neighbouring countries, donor agencies and other international organizations in urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, and emphasizes that long-term peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development in Afghanistan and the region require the respect of international obligations by Afghanistan, closer and more effective cooperation, as well as greater coherence and complementarity of approach within the international community;

Urges Afghanistan to adhere to international law, comply with its international obligations and honour and fully respect and implement all treaties, covenants or conventions, bilateral or multilateral, to which it is Party, and coexist peacefully with neighbouring countries and the region;

Calls upon the Taliban to fulfil and respect their assurances for the safety and security of diplomatic personnel and premises, humanitarian workers and international organizations in Afghanistan;

Emphasizes that relations of all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders with the international community will be informed by their commitments, actions and achievements with regard to the expectations of the Afghan people widely shared by the international community;

Human rights, governance and the rule of law

Expresses its serious concern about the grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban, which, as documented by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has put in place an institutionalized system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity and the exclusion of women and girls, recalls the obligations of Afghanistan under international law, in particular human rights, refugee and international humanitarian law, and stresses the need to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Reiterates its unwavering commitment to international law, including international humanitarian law and the human rights of all Afghans, including all ethnic and religious groups, calls for the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and girls in Afghanistan, in this regard calls for the Taliban to swiftly reverse contradictory policies and practices, including the “vice and virtue” directive, which extend the already intolerable restrictions on the human rights of women and girls and on basic personal freedoms for all Afghans, and the decision to suspend women’s and girls’ access to education in private and public medical institutions, the ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations and non‑governmental organizations in Afghanistan, as well as other policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including as related to their access to education, employment and health services, freedom of movement, and women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in public life, while reaffirming the indispensable role of women in Afghan society, the need to increase their roles and participation in decision-making and the importance of gender equality in achieving sustainable, peaceful and inclusive societies;

Emphasizes the need to ensure respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and children in Afghanistan and to end and prevent all abuses against women and children, encourages the full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, and strongly condemns all forms of violence against women and children;

Reiterates the importance of dialogue between all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders with a focus on the establishment of inclusive, representative, participatory and responsive governance at the national and subnational levels;

Strongly emphasizes the necessity of investigating allegations of current and past human rights abuses and violations, as well as violations of international humanitarian law, in Afghanistan, and stresses the importance of facilitating the provision of efficient and effective remedies to the victims and survivors and of bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with national and international law;

Condemns in the strongest possible terms all violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law committed in Afghanistan, including all attacks, reprisals and violence against journalists and media workers, urges that the perpetrators of attacks on journalists be brought to justice in accordance with national and international law, expresses concern regarding increasing challenges faced by journalists, media workers and media outlets in Afghanistan, where they operate under an environment of censorship and tight restrictions on accessing information, and urges all Afghan political actors and stakeholders to ensure and respect freedom of opinion and expression, media freedom and access to media;

Expresses its concern about reports of extrajudicial punishments, such as reprisals and summary executions, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, including those against former members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces and other officials, and expresses its deep concern about inhumane punishments in Afghanistan;

Reiterates that sustained and effective efforts in fighting corruption in Afghanistan remain critical for the country’s future, and urges all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders to promote the rule of law and address impunity for corruption, and establish a more effective, accountable and transparent administration at the national, provincial and local levels;

Security, counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics

Notes improvements in the overall security conditions in Afghanistan, at the same times reiterates its serious concern about the continuing violence and the presence of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida and their affiliates, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (Da’esh) and their affiliates, including ISIL-Khorasan, and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, as well as the presence of foreign terrorist fighters, and condemns attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, which have especially targeted educational facilities, diplomatic premises and personnel and religious sites belonging to minorities, as well as deplorable attempts to undermine relations between communities, posing a serious threat to the security of Afghanistan, its immediate neighbours and the countries of the region;

Reaffirms the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan, including those individuals and groups designated by the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities and of preventing violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, demands that the territory of Afghanistan not be used as a platform or safe haven by any terrorist group, organization or individual to threaten or attack any country, to plan or finance terrorist acts or to shelter and train terrorists, and that no Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any country, and also reaffirms that all measures taken by States to counter terrorism must comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law;

Calls upon Afghanistan to take active measures to tackle, dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organizations equally and without discrimination and prevent the use of Afghan territory by such groups against its neighbours, the region and beyond;

Recognizes that terrorism has devastating consequences on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of victims and their families, deplores the suffering of the people of Afghanistan, and reaffirms its profound solidarity with them, and emphasizes the need to promote international solidarity in support of victims of terrorism and to ensure that victims of terrorism are treated with dignity and respect, and that their right to access to justice and redress mechanisms, as provided for in applicable domestic law and in accordance with international law, is fully respected;

Stresses the need for neighbouring and regional countries and the international community to continue to work closely together and to improve coordination in countering all acts of terrorism and the associated threats, including the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters and terrorism financing in Afghanistan, the region and beyond, and affirms its support for continued efforts in this regard;

Remains deeply concerned about the persistent harm to civilians, including the disproportionate impact on children, caused by anti‑personnel landmines, explosive remnants of war, improvised explosive devices and weapons, encourages all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders to continue efforts to eradicate the threat posed by anti‑personnel landmines and improvised explosive devices, and encourages steps towards addressing the illicit trade in and destabilizing accumulation of small arms and light weapons in Afghanistan, and their diversion;

Expresses its continued deep concern at the undiminished serious threat and harm of illicit opium cultivation and methamphetamine production and at the consumption and trafficking of these drugs in Afghanistan, and that they continue to be a source of financing for terrorist groups and non‑State actors that threaten regional and international security, calls for comprehensive measures to combat illicit narcotics, particularly in light of the significant rise in the production of synthetic drugs, calls upon States to strengthen international and regional cooperation to counter this threat, and recognizes the important role played by neighbouring countries of Afghanistan in combating and countering international drug trafficking, also recognizes the important role of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and stresses the importance of agricultural development and alternative livelihoods to address the drug problem;

Welcomes steps taken by the Taliban with regard to a ban on opium cultivation, calls for its full and sustainable implementation, stresses the impact of the narcotics ban on the cultivation, production, trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs in Afghanistan, calls for its full and sustainable implementation, and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach in addressing the drug problem of Afghanistan, which, to be effective, must be integrated into the wider context of efforts carried out in the areas of security, governance, the rule of law, human rights, public health and economic and social development, in particular in rural areas, including the development of improved alternative livelihood programmes, such as initiatives to promote legal agricultural production, including wheat cultivation in central Afghanistan, and encourages more comprehensive engagement with the Counter-Narcotics Working Group established under the United Nations-led Doha process, with a view to enhancing cooperation in addressing the illicit drug economy and its regional and global ramifications;

Notes with great concern the strong nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism in Afghanistan, stresses the importance of continued attention to the linkages in Afghanistan between the proceeds of organized crime, inter alia, the illicit production of and trafficking in drugs and their chemical precursors and the financing, respectively, of terrorists including those individuals and groups designated by the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015), and underscores the need to improve the necessary capacity of the relevant Afghan institutions to address challenges posed by terrorism, narcotics, smuggling, money-laundering and organized crime;

Humanitarian assistance

Notes with grave concern the dire humanitarian situation affecting Afghanistan, including the funding gap for and continuing obstacles to humanitarian operations, with millions of people facing emergency levels of food insecurity, acknowledges that women and children, including girls, are disproportionally affected by the humanitarian and economic crisis, urges the international community to provide, in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law, humanitarian assistance and financial resources to support humanitarian activities across Afghanistan, consistent with humanitarian principles, and calls for support to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2025;

Emphasizes the importance of strengthened efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs in Afghanistan, in accordance with resolution 2615 (2021) of 22 December 2021, while acknowledging the important coordination role of the United Nations in this regard, and reiterates that full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access consistent with international law, including international humanitarian law and other international legal obligations, for all international and national humanitarian personnel, including national and locally recruited personnel, in particular women, and international and national non‑governmental organizations, is essential;

Stresses the critical importance of predictable, principled and sustained international humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, particularly in addressing urgent needs in the areas of public health, nutrition and the prevention of communicable diseases, and calls upon all donor countries and relevant stakeholders to reconsider any decisions that may lead to reductions in such assistance, taking into account the potential adverse humanitarian consequences for the most vulnerable populations;

Acknowledges that natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and droughts underline the need for disaster risk reduction measures and lead to a further increase in humanitarian needs in Afghanistan;

Takes note of Security Council resolution 2615 (2021), in which the Council underlined that humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs in Afghanistan were not a violation of paragraph 1 (a) of Council resolution 2255 (2015) of 21 December 2015, while recalling the need to minimize and monitor the risk of aid diversion, and also recalling the humanitarian exemption set out in Council resolution 2664 (2022) of 9 December 2022;

Calls upon all actors to work towards improving the accessibility of the full spectrum of activities by humanitarian and development agencies and personnel, including all Afghans across all ethnic groups, in all areas of the country, in support of all people in need, including women, children, displaced persons, minorities and persons with disabilities, as well as to support efforts to create conditions conducive to a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return and reintegration of internally displaced persons and refugee populations, in particular those in neighbouring countries which have faced a major influx of refugees;

Social and economic development

Emphasizes the importance of creating opportunities for economic recovery, development and prosperity in Afghanistan, including measures to help the country strengthen its capacity for sustainable and self-reliant development;

Recognizes the necessity of improving the living conditions of the Afghan people, and therefore emphasizes the need to address basic human needs across Afghanistan, in particular equal access to basic services such as education and public health services, taking into account Security Council resolution 2615 (2021) and the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan for 2023–2025;

Also recognizes the need to help to address the substantial challenges facing the economy of Afghanistan, including through efforts to restore the banking and financial systems as well as enabling access to assets belonging to the Central Bank of Afghanistan for the benefit of the Afghan people, acknowledges that the financial system of Afghanistan continues to face serious challenges, and calls upon all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders to create favourable conditions for economic activity and recovery by adhering to the rule of law, respecting fully civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights, ensuring educational rights for all Afghans, including women and girls, by providing responsible and accountable governance, and expanding the capacities and professionalism of Afghan institutions;

Encourages continued efforts, working with all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders, to contribute to supporting the provision of essential services to the Afghan population and to creating economic and social conditions that can lead to self-reliance and stability and to facilitate commercial and financial activity in Afghanistan for the benefit of the Afghan people, especially women, including through efforts to restore the banking and financial systems in Afghanistan;

Recalls its concern about the adverse impact of climate change, natural disasters and environmental issues in Afghanistan, and emphasizes the urgent need to build resilience, especially for the most vulnerable, including through the revitalization of sustainable food systems and improvements in water management;

Education

Reaffirms its commitment to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all;

Strongly emphasizes that education is a human right that needs to be granted to every citizen, including women and girls, minorities and persons with disabilities, expresses deep concern about the decisions of the Taliban to close secondary schools for girls and to ban women from universities and from private and public medical institutions, which may also hinder the growth and competitiveness of the Afghan economy, and calls for Afghanistan to comply with its international obligations and in this regard swiftly reverse all policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of the human right to education;

Emphasizes the importance of the rights and needs of the entire population of the country, including all ethnic and religious groups, and stresses that women and girls’ access to education and economic opportunities, including access to work, participation in public life, freedom of movement, justice and basic services, will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the country;

Strongly welcomes initiatives of regional and international actors that aim to provide quality education for the Afghan population, especially for women and girls, subsequent to the Taliban’s edicts, and encourages all relevant actors to consider further activities in this regard, while recalling the primary responsibility of the Taliban to ensure equal, adequate and quality education in Afghanistan;

Takes note of the Islamabad Declaration on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities adopted under the auspices of the Muslim World League, which emphasized girls’ education as a human right, consistent with Islamic teachings;

Refugees

Expresses its concern over the number of internally displaced persons in and refugees from Afghanistan, including members of all ethnic and religious groups, recalls the respective obligations of States under international refugee law with respect to the protection of refugees, to respect the principle of voluntary return of refugees and the right to seek asylum and to ensure full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian relief agencies in order to provide protection and assistance to Afghan people in need;

Reaffirms its commitment to manage national borders in a coordinated manner, promoting bilateral and regional cooperation, ensuring security for States, communities and migrants, and facilitating safe and regular cross-border movements of people while preventing irregular migration, thereby allowing Member States to consider further resettlement efforts;

Expresses its appreciation to those governments that host Afghan refugees, including the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, and underlines the centrality of international cooperation to the refugee protection regime, recognizes the burden that large movements of refugees place on major and long-standing refugee-hosting countries and communities, as well as their national resources, especially in the case of developing countries, and calls for a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting the world’s refugees, addressing the needs of refugees and hosting States, while taking account of existing contributions and the differing capacities and resources among States;

Expresses concern over the significant challenges associated with hosting, protecting and integrating Afghan refugees in national systems and strategies given socioeconomic difficulties, stretched resources and the impact on the social and political cohesion of major hosting countries in the region and beyond;

Underlines that the return of migrants who do not have the legal right to stay on another State’s territory should be safe and dignified and in compliance with international law, including international human rights law;

Requests relevant international organizations, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, to continue to work closely with all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders and the countries hosting Afghan refugees with a view to facilitating the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees and their sustainable reintegration, and encourages relevant stakeholders to support and facilitate as a matter of priority the repatriation of Afghan refugees reasonably regarded as a threat to public safety in order to preserve hosting countries’ receptiveness to refugees;

Reaffirms that peace and stability, social and economic development, respect for human rights and inclusive government in Afghanistan would also contribute to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of all Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons to play their constructive role in Afghanistan;

Regional cooperation

Stresses the crucial importance of advancing constructive and sustainable regional cooperation as an effective means of promoting and complementing peace, security, stability and economic and social development in Afghanistan and the region;

Highlights the importance of the contributions of neighbouring and regional partners and regional organizations to the well-being of the Afghan people, including educational opportunities provided by such countries as India, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Türkiye, as well as the regional programme to support Afghan students’ access to higher education in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which serves as a practical example of regional solidarity and investment in the future of Afghanistan, and urges the Taliban to establish mechanisms to enable cooperation with the interested actors and to benefit from their knowledge and expertise in this regard;

Recognizes the importance of the potential role of Afghanistan in connecting Central and South Asia, as well as its economic development and integration into interregional economic processes for lasting peace and stability;

Notes the historical role of Afghanistan as a land bridge in Asia, and recalls that regional economic cooperation plays an important role in achieving stability and development in Afghanistan;

Recognizes the importance of regional connectivity projects with neighbouring countries and Central Asia that can provide a pathway to economic growth and stabilization in Afghanistan;

Expresses appreciation for the commitment of neighbouring and regional partners to peace and stability in Afghanistan and Central Asia and for demonstrating unwavering support to the United Nations;

Welcomes regional diplomatic initiatives conducive to an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours as complementary efforts to the United Nations-led Doha process;

Also welcomes the work of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in accordance with its mandate aimed at strengthening the cooperation and engagement of Central Asian countries in dealing with current challenges in Afghanistan;

Further welcomes the formalization of the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan, and underscores the important role the Centre can play in fostering regional cooperation by implementing regional projects and programmes aimed at contributing to international efforts towards peace, stability and sustainable development in Afghanistan, and encourages the Centre to work in close collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, including United Nations agencies and regional partners;

International cooperation

Stresses the importance of an engagement architecture to guide and bring more coherence to political, humanitarian and development activities, and a substantive road map that will enable more effective negotiation and implementation of the priorities of Afghan and international stakeholders;

Reaffirms that an integrated and coherent approach among relevant political, humanitarian and development actors, within and outside of the United Nations system, consistent with their respective mandates, is critical to building and sustaining peace in Afghanistan;

Takes note with satisfaction of the independent assessment on Afghanistan;

Encourages Member States and all other relevant stakeholders to consider the independent assessment and the implementation of its recommendations, especially increasing international engagement in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner, affirms that the objective of this process should be a clear end state of an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours, fully reintegrated into the international community and meeting international obligations, and stresses the need to ensure the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of Afghan women in the process throughout;

Encourages the Secretary-General, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, to appoint a coordinator to facilitate a more coherent, coordinated and structured international approach and to promote implementation of the recommendations of the independent assessment, without prejudice to the mandates of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and their vital work in Afghanistan;

Welcomes the Secretary-General’s initiative for establishing the United Nations-led Doha process that initially met in May 2023 in Doha, encourages further discussions on the implementations of the recommendations of the independent assessment; in this regard welcomes the Secretariat’s efforts towards a comprehensive approach in facilitating principled international engagement, including through the establishment of Working Groups in line with priority issues identified by the independent assessment, and emphasizes the importance of developing a political road map;

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

Fully supports the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, as mandated by the Security Council in its resolution 2777 (2025), stresses the critical importance of the continued presence of the Mission and other United Nations agencies, funds and programmes across Afghanistan, and expresses its appreciation for the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan;

Reiterates the necessity for all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders as well as international actors to coordinate with the Mission and other United Nations agencies, funds and programmes across Afghanistan in the implementation of their mandates and to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel, irrespective of gender, throughout the country;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to report every three months on developments in Afghanistan, as well as on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eighty-second session the item entitled “The situation in Afghanistan”.

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