Security Council resolution 2543 (2020) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 Sept. 2021]
Symbol: S/RES/2543 (2020)
Date: 2020-09-15
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/75 [47] UN ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN
S/75 [46] AFGHANISTAN SITUATION
S/ X The situation in Afghanistan.
Subjects: UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan|UN. Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|GOOD OFFICES|AFGHANISTAN
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: BELGIUM
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
vote: yes
country: ESTONIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: GERMANY
vote: yes
country: INDONESIA
vote: yes
country: NIGER
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
vote: yes
country: SOUTH AFRICA
vote: yes
country: TUNISIA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: VIET NAM
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                 S/RES/2543 (2020)
               Security Council                                                Distr.: General
                                                                               15 September 2020




               Resolution 2543 (2020)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 8759th meeting, on
               15 September 2020

                    The Security Council,
                    Recalling its previous resolutions on Afghanistan, in particular its resolution
               2489 (2019) extending through 17 September 2020 the mandate of the United Nations
               Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA),
                    Stressing the important role that the United Nations will continue to play in
               promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan, while also addressing the challenges
               facing the country and its people, especially consequences of the COVID -19
               pandemic, recognizing that the impact of the pandemic presents a profound challenge
               to Afghanistan’s health system, socio-economic and humanitarian situations, and is
               worsening the food crisis and acknowledging the launch of the Global Humanitarian
               Response Plan for COVID-19 by the United Nations, which puts the people at the
               center of the response, as well as recognizing the efforts and measures taken by the
               Government of Afghanistan in response to COVID-19,
                     Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, ter ritorial
               integrity and national unity of Afghanistan, as well as its continued support for the
               Government and people of Afghanistan,
                     Recognizing that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through a
               comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process that
               aims at a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire as well as an inclusive political
               settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan and reaffirming the importance of the
               United Nations in this regard, as well as welcoming the efforts of all regional and
               international partners of Afghanistan and recognizing the efforts of the Government
               of Afghanistan and of all other Afghan actors in facilitating intra -Afghan
               negotiations,
                     Calling for an inclusive and meaningful peace process with the participation of
               women, youth and ethnic, religious and other minorities and underlining that the
               economic, social, political and development gains made in the last 19 years as well
               as respect for human rights, especially for women, children and minorities , must be
               protected and built upon,
                     Recalling the desire of the Government and the people of Afghanistan to
               reinvigorate their country’s standing as a platform of international cooperation, and
               in this regard welcoming the efforts of regional and international partners and




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               organizations in advancing sustainable development, regional connectivity, and
               reconstruction, which is vital to ensuring stability and economic prosperity in
               Afghanistan,
                    Welcoming the international community’s continued support for a peaceful,
               secure, stable and prosperous Afghanistan and expecting a renewal of strategic
               consensus and commitment between the international community and the
               Government of Afghanistan in the forthcoming Afghanistan Donors’ Conference in
               Geneva,
                    Expressing its deep concern about the continuing high level of violence and the
               security situation in Afghanistan, especially the number of civilian casualties, and
               stressing the importance of sustained efforts to reduce violence,
                     Further expressing its deep concern about the threat posed by terrorism to
               Afghanistan and the region, expressing serious concern over the continuing presence
               of Al-Qaida, ISIL as well as other international terrorist organizations and t heir
               affiliated groups in Afghanistan, condemning in the strongest terms all terrorist
               activity and all terrorist attacks, and reaffirming the importance of ensuring that the
               territory of Afghanistan should not be used by Al-Qaida, ISIL or other international
               terrorist groups to threaten or attack any other country, and that neither the Taliban
               nor any other Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the
               territory of any country,
                     Emphasizing the importance of supporting the Government of Afghanistan in
               capacity building, in particular of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces
               (ANDSF) including the Afghan National Police (ANP) in securing their country and
               in their fight against terrorism,
                      Expressing concern over the cultivation, production, trade and trafficking of
               illicit drugs in Afghanistan which continue to pose a threat to peace and stability in
               the region and beyond, calling upon states to strengthen international and regional
               cooperation to counter this threat and recognizing the important role of the United
               Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in this context,
                    Noting the ongoing work of the Committee established pursuant to Security
               Council resolution 1988 (2011) and the continuation of the cooperation of the Afghan
               Government and UNAMA with the Committee, including its Analytical Support and
               Sanctions Monitoring Team,
                    1.   Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 18 August 2020
               (S/2020/809);
                     2.      Expresses its appreciation for the United Nations’ long-term commitment
               to support the Government and the people of Afghanistan and reiterates its full
               support to the work of UNAMA and the Special Representative of the Secretary -
               General, and stresses the need to ensure continued adequate resourcing for UNAMA
               to fulfil its mandate;
                    3.   Welcomes UNAMA’s ongoing efforts in the implementation of the
               mandated tasks, priorities and related resources of UNAMA especially during the
               COVID-19 pandemic, and calls for the implementation of the recommendations of
               the Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire as supported in resolution
               2532 (2020);
                     4.   Welcomes the start of intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha, Qatar on
               12 September 2020, strongly encourages parties to the negotiations to continue
               pursuing confidence-building measures including additional reductions in violence,
               further encourages parties to the negotiations to engage in good faith with the aim of
               a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and an inclusive political settlement to end

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           the conflict in Afghanistan, and emphasizes the importance of the implementation of
           resolution 2513 (2020);
                5.    Decides to extend until 17 September 2021 the mandate of UNAMA, as
           defined in its resolutions 1662 (2006), 1746 (2007), 1806 (2008), 1868 (2009), 1917
           (2010), 1974 (2011), 2041 (2012), 2096 (2013), 2145 (2014), 2210 (2015), 2274
           (2016), 2344 (2017), 2405 (2018), 2460 (2019), 2489 (2019);
                 6.   Decides further that UNAMA and the Special Representative of the
           Secretary-General, within their mandate and in a manner consistent with Afghan
           sovereignty, leadership and ownership, will continue to lead and coordinate the
           international civilian efforts, in full cooperation with the Gover nment of Afghanistan
           and in accordance with the relevant international communiqués, with a particular
           focus on the priorities laid out below:
                 (a) provide outreach as well as good offices to support, if requested by and in
           close consultation with the Government of Afghanistan, the Afghan-led and
           Afghan-owned peace process, particularly in view of intra-Afghan negotiations
           started in Doha on 12 September 2020, proposing and supporting confidence -building
           measures within the framework of the Afghan Constitution and with full respect for
           the implementation of measures and application of the procedures introduced by the
           Security Council in resolutions 1267 (1999), 1988 (2011) and its other relevant
           resolutions;
                 (b) support, in close consultation and coordination with the Government of
           Afghanistan, the organization of future timely, credible, transparent, and inclusive
           Afghan elections, work closely with the election management bodies, supporting
           them to deliver a robust and transparent results management process, coordinate
           international community efforts and strengthen, in support of the Government of
           Afghanistan’s electoral reform efforts, the sustainability, integrity and inclusiveness
           of the electoral process, as well as increase efforts to provide capacity -building and
           technical assistance to the election management bodies and other relevant Afghan
           institutions involved in this process;
                 (c) promote, as co-chair of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board
           (JCMB), coherent support by the international community to the development and
           governance priorities of the Government of Afghanistan, including through
           supporting the ongoing development and sequencing of the Government’s reform
           agenda, mobilization of resources, coordination of international donors and
           organizations as facilitator and co-convener of development policy fora, at the same
           time, coordinate international partners for follow -up, in particular through
           information sharing, and support efforts to increase accountability, transparency, and
           effectiveness of aid use, including cost-effectiveness, in line with the commitments
           made at the Geneva Conference in 2018 and to be reviewed at the forth coming
           Afghanistan Donors’ Conference in Geneva;
                 (d) support regional cooperation, with a view to promoting stability and peace,
           as well as assisting Afghanistan in utilizing its role at the heart of Asia to promote
           regional cooperation and connectivity, and to work towards a prosperous Afghanistan,
           building on the achievements made, to promote partnership on connectivity, based on
           transparency, openness, and inclusiveness, welcome joint efforts to enhance dialogue
           and collaboration and to advance shared goals of economic development across the
           region;
                (e) continue, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High
           Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to cooperate with and strengthen the
           capacity of the Government of Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Independent Human
           Rights Commission (AIHRC), and civil society in the protection and promotion of

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               human rights, to cooperate also with the Government of Afghanistan and relevant
               international and local non-governmental organizations to monitor the situation of
               civilians, to coordinate efforts to ensure their protection, to monitor places of
               detention, and the treatment of those deprived of their liberty, to promote
               accountability, and advise, in close consultation with the Government of Afghanistan,
               stakeholders on the establishment and implementation of judicial and non -judicial
               processes to address the legacy of large-scale human rights violations and abuses as
               well as international crimes and to prevent their recurrence and to assist in the full
               implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights provisions of the
               Afghan Constitution and international treaties to which Afghanistan is a State party,
               in particular those regarding the full enjoyment by women of their human rights,
               including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against
               Women (CEDAW);
                     (f) support in this regard the importance of gender equality and women’s and
               girls’ empowerment, education, human rights, and the full, safe, equal, effective and
               meaningful participation, engagement and leadership of women in all levels of
               decision-making, including in peace talks, overall peacebuilding strategies, at the
               national and subnational level, call on the Government of Afghanistan and the
               international community to fully implement and finance the 1325 National Action
               Plan and to ensure the protection of civilians, especially women, children, displaced
               persons, and minorities, including from sexual- and gender-based violence, and that
               perpetrators of such violence and abuse are held accountable;
                     (g) strengthen capacity to report on violations and abuses against children, and
               to support efforts to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict,
               including through engagement with all parties to the conflic t to undertake specific
               commitments and measures to end and prevent violations and abuses against children
               and sustained dialogue with the Government of Afghanistan on the swift and full
               implementation of the Action Plan and Road Map to End and Prevent Chi ld
               Recruitment;
                     (h) support the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan in fulfilling its
               commitments to improve governance and the rule of law, including transitional justice
               as an essential component of the ongoing peace process, budget execution and t he
               fight against corruption throughout the country;
                     (i) coordinate and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance efforts
               and work towards improving the accessibility of humanitarian assistance, in support
               of Afghans in need and consistent with humanitarian principles, including by
               providing effective support as appropriate to national and local authorities in assisting
               and protecting internally displaced persons and to creating conditions conducive to a
               voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of internally displaced persons and
               refugee populations to one’s home or local integration or resettlement, with a
               particular focus on durable development solutions to these issues;
                     (j) promote, through an appropriate UNAMA presence and in support o f the
               efforts of the Government of Afghanistan, enhanced cooperation with the United
               Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC);
                    (k) closely coordinate and cooperate, where relevant, with the non -combat
               Resolute Support Mission agreed upon between NATO and the Government of
               Afghanistan, as well as with the NATO Senior Civilian Representative;
                    7.    Stresses the critical importance of a continued and appropriate presence of
               UNAMA and other United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes in the
               provinces, based on a “One UN” approach and in close consultation and coordination
               with and in support of the priorities of the Government of Afghanistan;


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                 8.    Calls on UNAMA and the Special Representative to further increase
           efforts to achieve greater coherence, coordination and efficiency among relevant
           United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes in Afghanistan with a view to
           maximizing their collective effectiveness in full alignment with the reform agenda of
           the Government of Afghanistan, and to continuing to lead international civilian efforts
           in full cooperation with the Government of Afghanistan aimed at reinforcing the role
           of Afghan institutions to perform their responsibilities;
                 9.   Calls upon all Afghan and international parties to coordinate with
           UNAMA in the implementation of its mandate and in efforts to promote the security
           and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel throughout the
           country, notes that UNAMA staff are deployed in deteriorating and complex security
           and health environments and stresses the importance of measures to ensure the safety,
           security and health support of the mission;
                10. Requests that the Secretary-General reports to the Council every three
           months on developments in Afghanistan including the security situation, and to
           include in his reports an evaluation of progress made against the benchmarks for
           measuring and tracking progress in the implementation of UNAMA’s mandate,
           including at the subnational level, and priorities as set out in this resolution;
                11.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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