General Assembly
Sixty-fourth session
Agenda item 17
The situation in Afghanistan
Security Council
Sixty-fifth year
I. Introduction and overview
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 63/18 and Security Council resolution 1868 (2009), in which the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and requested a report on developments in Afghanistan every three months. The present report reviews the situation in Afghanistan and the activities of UNAMA since my previous report, of 28 December 2009 (A/64/613-S/2009/674). During the reporting period, on 6 January 2010, I briefed the Security Council on Afghanistan.
2. The key developments in Afghanistan over the past three months, as described in the present report, include the certification of provincial council elections, the holding of the International Conference on Afghanistan in London on 28 January, the evolution of the security situation, and economic development in the country. The report also provides updates on counter-narcotics, human rights and humanitarian issues. Its structure follows as closely as possible the benchmarks identified in my report of 22 September 2009 (A/64/364-S/2009/475) and provides context for the summary assessment of indicators of progress for each benchmark set out in the annex. Finally, the present report recommends the renewal of the mandate of UNAMA, together with some adjustments, given the developments over the past year.
3. The year ahead will be shaped by the agreements reached at the London Conference on Afghanistan. The Conference, hosted by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and co-chaired by the Government of Afghanistan, the United Kingdom and the United Nations, saw the renewal of the mutual commitment of the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to the implementation of a reform-oriented nation-building agenda, on the basis of President Karzai's 19 November 2009 inaugural speech. The 78 participating nations and institutions agreed to begin a new phase in the partnership between the Government and the international community, premised on a transition to greater Afghan leadership and responsibility. In this new "transition" phase, the Government will increasingly exercise sovereignty over its own security and development, with the international community playing a supporting role. The outcome document of the London Conference identified steps towards greater Afghan leadership in areas ranging from security to economic development and from governance to regional cooperation. The Conference also generated a consensus regarding an Afghan-led reconciliation and reintegration approach to those anti-Government elements willing to renounce violence and to respect the Afghan Constitution.
4. The London Conference set the agenda for an additional conference to be held in Kabul in spring 2010. It will be the first high-level meeting hosted by the Government of Afghanistan, which has pledged to present concrete programmes to the conference.