United Nations Security Council Resolution 1746

Adopted by the Security Council at its 5645th meeting on 23 March 2007

The Security Council,

Recalling its previous resolutions on Afghanistan, in particular its resolution 1662 (2006) extending through 23 March 2007 the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) as laid out in the report of the Secretary-General of 7 March 2006 (S/2006/145), and its resolution 1659 (2006) endorsing the Afghanistan Compact, and recalling also the report of the Security Council mission to Afghanistan, 11 to 16 November 2006 (S/2006/935), Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan,

Reaffirming its continued support for the Government and people of Afghanistan as they rebuild their country, strengthen the foundations of sustainable peace and constitutional democracy and assume their rightful place in the community of nations,

Reaffirming in this context its support for the implementation, under the ownership of the Afghan people, of the Afghanistan Compact, of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and of the National Drugs Control Strategy, and noting that sustained efforts by all relevant actors are required to consolidate progress made towards their implementation and to overcome current challenges,

Recalling that the Afghanistan Compact is based on a partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community, with a central and impartial coordinating role for the United Nations,

Recognizing once again the interconnected nature of the challenges in Afghanistan, reaffirming that sustainable progress on security, governance and development, as well as the cross-cutting issue of counter-narcotics is mutually reinforcing and welcoming the continuing efforts of the Afghan Government and the international community to address these challenges in a coherent manner through the comprehensive framework provided by the Afghanistan Compact,

Noting, in the context of a comprehensive approach, the synergies in the objectives of UNAMA and of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and stressing the need for continued cooperation and coordination, taking due account of their respective designated responsibilities,

Reiterating its concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, in particular the increased violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, illegally armed groups and those involved in the narcotics trade, and the links between terrorism activities and illicit drugs, resulting in threats to the local population, national security forces and international military and civilian personnel, and stressing the importance of the security and safety of the United Nations and associated personnel,

Expressing also its concern over the harmful consequences of the insurgency on the capacity of the Afghan Government to provide security and basic services to the Afghan people, and to ensure the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Recalling the importance of the Kabul Declaration of 22 December 2002 on Good-Neighbourly Relations (Kabul Declaration) (S/2002/1416), welcoming the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the Second Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan on 19 November 2006, looking forward to the Third Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2007, and stressing the crucial importance to all parties of advancing regional cooperation as an effective means to promote security, governance and development in Afghanistan,

Recalling its resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict and its resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security,

Stressing the central and impartial role that the United Nations continues to play in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan by leading the efforts of the international community, including, jointly with the Government of Afghanistan, the coordination and monitoring of efforts in implementing the Afghanistan Compact, and expressing its appreciation and strong support for the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative for Afghanistan and the women and men of UNAMA,

1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 15 March 2007 (S/2007/152);

2. Expresses its appreciation for the United Nations long-term commitment to work with the Government and the people of Afghanistan;

3. Decides to extend the mandate of UNAMA, as established by resolution 1662 (2006), until 23 March 2008;

4. Stresses the role of UNAMA to promote a more coherent international engagement in support of Afghanistan, to extend its good offices through outreach in Afghanistan, to support regional cooperation in the context of the Afghanistan Compact, to promote humanitarian coordination and to continue to contribute to human rights protection and promotion, including monitoring of the situation of civilians in armed conflict;

5. Welcomes UNAMA’s expanded presence in the provinces, through regional and provincial offices, which support efforts at the central level to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Afghanistan Compact and assist the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan and its international partners in improving the delivery of services to Afghan citizens throughout the country, and encourages further progress in this regard, including in the southern and eastern provinces, security circumstances permitting;

6. Reiterates its call on the Afghan Government, and on all members of the international community and international organizations, to implement the Afghanistan Compact and its annexes in full;

7. Emphasizes the importance of meeting the benchmarks and timelines of the Compact for the progress on security, governance and development as well as the cross-cutting issue of counter-narcotics and of increasing the effectiveness and coordination of the assistance to Afghanistan;

8. Acknowledges the central role played by the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board in facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the Compact, stresses the role of the JCMB to support Afghanistan by, inter alia, coordinating international assistance and reconstruction programmes, encourages efforts to strengthen the JCMB Secretariat, welcomes the results of the JCMB meeting at senior officials level held in Berlin on 30 and 31 January 2007, and encourages further efforts to provide appropriate high level political guidance and promote a more coherent international engagement;

9. Calls on all Afghan parties and groups to engage constructively in an inclusive political dialogue, within the framework of the Afghan Constitution and Afghan-led reconciliation programmes, and in the social development of the country, and stresses the importance of these factors to enhance security and stability;

10. Stresses the need for further progress on security sector reform, inter alia in order to advance towards the goal of ethnically balanced Afghan security forces providing security and ensuring the rule of law throughout the country, welcomes in this regard the ongoing efforts to increase functionality, professionalism and accountability of the security sector, including the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police, including the recent proposed contributions by the United States and other partners, and calls for proper monitoring of the deployment of the Auxiliary Police to ensure its accountability to central authorities;

11. Welcomes the decision by the European Union to establish a mission in the field of policing with linkages to the wider rule of law and counter narcotics, to assist and enhance current efforts in the area of police reform at central and provincial levels, and looks forward to the early launch of the mission;

12. Welcomes the successful conclusion of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process started in October 2003, as well as the launch of the programme of disbandment of illegal armed groups (DIAG) and the commitments made in this regard at the Second Tokyo Conference on Consolidation of Peace in Afghanistan on 5 July 2006, calls for determined efforts by the Afghan Government to pursue at all levels the timely implementation of the programme throughout the country, including through the implementation of the newly adopted Action Plan, and requests the international community to extend further assistance to these efforts, taking fully into account the guidance by UNAMA;

13. Stresses the need for accelerated progress in the implementation of the 10-year strategy for justice reform in the framework of the Afghanistan Compact, including through definition of responsibilities and provision of adequate resources, invites the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to continue to work towards the establishment of a fair and transparent justice system, including the reconstruction and reform of the correctional system, in order to strengthen the rule of law throughout the country and eliminate impunity, and takes note with interest of the initiative to organize in Rome a Conference on Rule of Law in Afghanistan to enhance Afghan and international commitment to justice sector reform;

14. Welcomes the continued efforts by the Afghan authorities to promote legislative reform, and stresses the importance of international support for capacitybuilding in such reform and its implementation;

15. Welcomes the establishment of the provincial councils in accordance with the Afghan Constitution, encourages all institutions to work in a spirit of cooperation, calls on the Afghan Government to pursue continued public administrative reform in order to ensure good governance, full representation and accountability at both national and local levels, and stresses the need for further international efforts to provide technical assistance in this regard, particularly at the local level;

16. Calls upon the Afghan Government, with support from the international community, to begin planning and preparation for Afghanistan’s next election cycle, including the establishment of a permanent Civil Voter Registry (CVR) as called for in the Afghanistan Compact, the passage and implementation of an updated Election Law, and financial and political support for the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to ensure that it possesses the resources needed, and to ensure that Afghanistan is set on the path to the creation of affordable and sustainable systems that will contribute to free, fair and transparent elections;

17. Notes with concern the effects of widespread corruption on security, good governance and counter-narcotics efforts, and calls on the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to vigorously lead the fight against corruption and to sustain its efforts to establish a more effective, accountable and transparent administration, and welcomes recent steps by the Afghan Government in this regard;

18. Calls for full respect for human rights and international humanitarian law throughout Afghanistan; requests UNAMA, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to continue to assist in the full implementation of the 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; commends the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission for its courageous efforts to monitor respect for human rights in Afghanistan as well as to foster and protect these rights;

19. Stresses the importance of the ongoing process of national reconciliation undertaken by the Government of Afghanistan and encourages the full and timely implementation, with international support, of the Action Plan on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation in accordance with the Afghanistan Compact, without prejudice to the implementation of measures introduced by the Security Council in its resolution 1267 (1999) of 15 October 1999 and other relevant resolutions of the Security Council;

20. Welcomes the cooperation of the Afghan Government and UNAMA with the Security Council’s Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) with the implementation of resolution 1735 (2006), and encourages the continuation of such cooperation;

21. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the ANDS, stresses the need for continued leadership by the Afghan Government in its implementation, and encourages the participants at the London Conference to continue to fulfil and consider increasing their pledges, including financial assistance for the implementation of the Strategy;

22. Expresses its concern at the serious harm that increasing opium cultivation, production and trafficking causes to the security, development and governance of Afghanistan as well as to the region and internationally; calls on the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to pursue effective implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy; and encourages additional international support for the four priorities identified in that Strategy, including through contributions to the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund and continued regional cooperation for the fight against the illicit trafficking in drugs and precursors and against money-laundering linked to such trafficking;

23. Welcomes the outcome of the Second Ministerial Conference on Drug Trafficking Routes from Afghanistan organized by the Government of the Russian Federation in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime held in Moscow from 26 to 28 June 2006 (S/2006/598), within the framework of the Paris Pact initiative, and calls upon States to strengthen international and regional cooperation to counter the threat to the international community posed by the illicit production and trafficking of drugs originated in Afghanistan;

24. Calls upon all Afghan and international parties to continue to cooperate 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;

25. Calls upon the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, including the International Security Assistance Force and Operation Enduring Freedom coalition, in accordance with their respective designated responsibilities as they evolve, to continue to address the threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, other extremist groups and criminal activities, welcomes the completion of ISAF’s expansion throughout Afghanistan and calls upon all parties to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law and to ensure the protection of civilian life;

26. Welcomes the ongoing efforts by the Government of Afghanistan and its neighbouring and regional partners to foster trust and cooperation with each other, stresses the importance of increasing cooperation between Afghanistan and the partners against the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other extremist groups, in promoting peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and in fostering cooperation in the economic and development sectors as a means to achieve the full integration of Afghanistan into regional dynamics and the global economy, and further welcomes progress in this regard;

27. Recognizes the importance of voluntary, safe, orderly return and sustainable reintegration of the remaining Afghan refugees for the stability of the country and the region, and calls for continued and enhanced international assistance in this regard;

28. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council every six months on developments in Afghanistan;

29. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.