Security Council Resolution 2041 (2012) [on Extension of the Mandate of the Un Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) Until 23 Mar. 2013]

S/RES/2041(2012)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Security Council, under agenda item 47 The situation in Afghanistan, published in 2012.

What other versions does this mandate have?

13 versions · 2011–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is S/RES/2777 (2025)

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	S/RES/2777 (2025)	Security Council resolution 2777 (2025) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 Mar. 2026]	—	—
2024	S/RES/2727 (2024)	Security Council resolution 2727 (2024) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 Mar. 2025]	—	—
2023	S/RES/2678 (2023)	Security Council resolution 2678 (2023) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 Mar. 2024]	—	—
2022	S/RES/2626 (2022)	Security Council resolution 2626 (2022) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 Mar. 2023]	—	—
2021	S/RES/2596 (2021)	Security Council resolution 2596 (2021) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 Mar. 2022]	—	—

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

53 reports · 2011–2026

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2026	A/80/658 S/2026/99	The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General	S/RES/2777 (2025)
2025	A/80/556 S/2025/789	The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General	S/RES/2777 (2025)
2025	A/80/366 S/2025/554	The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General	S/RES/2777 (2025)
2025	A/79/947 S/2025/372	The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General	S/RES/2777 (2025)
2025	A/79/797 S/2025/109	The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security report of the Secretary-General	S/RES/2727 (2024)

What subjects does this mandate have?

13 subjects

Afghanistan Afghanistan Situation Development Assistance Gender Equality Governance Human Rights Humanitarian Assistance Internal Security Narcotic Drugs Political Conditions Regional Cooperation Rule of Law Special Missions

What’s in this document?

57 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 5 March 2012 (S/2012/133);

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;

Decides to extend until 23 March 2013 the mandate of UNAMA, as defined in its resolutions 1662 (2006), 1746 (2007), 1806 (2008), 1868 (2009), 1917 (2010), 1974 (2011) and paragraphs 4, 5, 6 and 7 below;

Recognizes that the renewed mandate of UNAMA takes full account of the transition process and is in support of Afghanistan’s full assumption of leadership and ownership in the security, governance and development areas, consistent with the understandings reached between Afghanistan and the international community in the London, Kabul and Bonn Conferences and the Lisbon Summit;

Calls on the United Nations, with the support of the international community, to support the Government of Afghanistan’s National Priority Programmes covering the issues of security, governance, justice and economic and social development and to support the full implementation of mutual commitments made on these issues at the Kabul and London Conferences, and reaffirmed as part of the strategic consensus at the Bonn Conference, as well as on continuing implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy, and requests that UNAMA, in an increasingly enabling function, assist the Government of Afghanistan on its way towards ensuring full Afghan leadership and ownership, as defined by the Kabul process;

Decides further that UNAMA and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, within their mandate and guided by the principle of reinforcing Afghan sovereignty, leadership and ownership, will continue to lead and coordinate the international civilian efforts, in accordance with the London and Kabul Conference Communiqués and the Bonn Conference Conclusions, and with a particular focus on the priorities laid out below:

promote, as co-chair of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB), more coherent support by the international community to the Afghan Government’s development and governance priorities, including through supporting the ongoing development and sequencing of the National Priority Programmes, mobilization of resources, coordination of international donors and organizations, and direction of the contributions of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, in particular for counter-narcotics, reconstruction and development activities; at the same time, support efforts to increase the proportion of development aid delivered through the Afghan Government, in line with the commitments made at the Kabul Conference, and support efforts to increase the transparency and effectiveness of the Afghan Government’s use of such resources;

continue the cooperation with ISAF and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative at all levels and throughout the country in support of the ongoing transition to full Afghan leadership and ownership agreed to at the Kabul and London Conferences and the Lisbon Summit, in a sustainable manner to ensure the protection and promotion of the rights of all Afghans, in accordance with their existing mandates, in order to optimize civil-military coordination, to facilitate the timely exchange of information and, to ensure coherence between the activities of national and international security forces and of civilian actors in support of an Afghan-led development and stabilization process, including through engagement with provincial reconstruction teams and engagement with non-governmental organizations, in particular through its participation on the Joint Afghan-NATO Inteqal Board (JANIB) as an observer;

provide outreach as well as good offices to support, if requested by the Afghan Government, the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of peace and reconciliation, including through the implementation of the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme and 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 its resolutions 1267 (1999), 1988 (2011) and 1989 (2011) as well as other relevant resolutions of the Council;

support, at the request of the Afghan authorities, the organization of future Afghan elections, as well as to strengthen, in support of the Government of Afghanistan’s efforts, the sustainability, integrity and inclusiveness of the electoral process, as agreed at the London, Kabul and Bonn Conferences, and provide capacity-building and technical assistance to the Afghan institutions involved in this process;

support regional cooperation, with a view to assisting Afghanistan utilize its role at the heart of Asia to promote regional cooperation, and to work towards a stable and prosperous Afghanistan, building on the achievements made;

Also reaffirms that UNAMA and the Special Representative, leveraging the competencies of the United Nations country team and taking into account the transition process, will continue to lead international civilian efforts with an emphasis on enabling and strengthening the role of Afghan institutions to perform their responsibilities in the following priority areas:

promote through an appropriate UNAMA presence, to be determined in full consultation and cooperation with the Government of Afghanistan, and in support of the Afghan Government’s efforts, implementation of the Kabul Process throughout the country including through enhanced cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and facilitate inclusion in and understanding of the Government’s policies;

support the efforts of the Afghan Government, in fulfilling its commitments as stated at the London, Kabul and Bonn Conferences, to improve governance and the rule of law including transitional justice, budget execution and the fight against corruption, throughout the country in accordance with the Kabul Process, with a view to helping bring the benefits of peace and the delivery of services in a timely and sustainable manner;

continue, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to cooperate with and build capacity of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), to cooperate also with the Afghan Government and relevant international and local non-governmental organizations to monitor the situation of civilians, to coordinate efforts to ensure their protection, to promote accountability, 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;

coordinate and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, in support of the Afghan Government and in accordance with humanitarian principles, with a view to building the capacity of the Government so it can assume the central and coordinating role in the future, including by providing effective support to national and local authorities in assisting and protecting internally displaced persons and to creating conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of refugees from neighbouring and other countries and internally displaced persons;

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;

Reiterates the need to ensure security of United Nations staff and its support for the measures already taken by the Secretary-General in this regard;

Stresses the importance of a continued presence of UNAMA and other United Nations agencies, funds and programmes in the provinces, consistent with the transition process, in support of and in cooperation with the Afghan Government, in response to needs and with a view to security and including the objective of overall United Nations effectiveness, and strongly supports the authority of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the coordination of all activities of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes in Afghanistan based on a “One-UN” approach;

Encourages the Secretary-General to continue his current efforts to take necessary measures to address the security issues associated with the United Nations presence and, during the current process of transition, particularly encourages careful coordination with the Afghan national security forces, supported by the Assistance Force, as appropriate;

Underscores the importance of a sustainable democratic development in Afghanistan with all Afghan institutions acting within their clearly defined areas of competence, in accordance with the relevant laws and the Afghan Constitution and welcomes, in this regard, the commitment of the Government of Afghanistan at the Kabul Conference, reaffirmed at the Bonn Conference, to deliver further improvements to the electoral process, including addressing the sustainability of the electoral process, and, taking into account the commitments by the international community and the Afghan Government made at the London, Kabul and Bonn Conferences, reaffirms UNAMA’s supporting role, at the request of the Afghan Government, in the realization of these commitments, and requests that, upon the request of the Government of Afghanistan, UNAMA provide assistance to the relevant Afghan institutions to support the integrity of the electoral process; and further calls upon members of the international community to provide assistance as appropriate;

Welcomes the continuing efforts of the Afghan Government to advance the peace and reconciliation process, including by the High Peace Council and the implementation of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Programme, to promote an inclusive, Afghan-led dialogue on reconciliation and political participation as laid forth in the 20 July 2010 Kabul Conference Communiqué on dialogue for all those who “renounce violence, have no links to international terrorist organizations,” including Al-Qaida, “respect the constitution,” including its human rights provisions, notably the rights of women, “and are willing to join in building a peaceful Afghanistan,” and as further elaborated in the principles and outcomes of the 5 December 2011 Bonn Conference Conclusions, and encourages the Government of Afghanistan to make use of UNAMA’s good offices to support this process as appropriate, in full respect of the implementation of measures and procedures introduced by the Security Council in its resolution 1267 (1999) and 1988 (2011) as well as other relevant resolutions of the Council;

Welcomes also the measures taken by the Government of Afghanistan, and encourages it to continue to increase the participation of women as well as minorities and civil society in outreach, consultation and decision-making processes, and recalls that women play a vital role in the peace process, as recognized in Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions, therefore reiterates the need for the full, equal and effective participation of women at all stages of peace processes and urges their involvement in the development and implementation of post-conflict strategies in order to take account of their perspectives and needs;

Notes the establishment of the Committee pursuant to Security Council resolution 1988 (2011), its methods and procedures, welcomes, in this context, the cooperation of the Afghan Government and UNAMA with the Committee including by providing relevant information for updating the 1988 List, and by identifying individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with the Taliban in constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan, as per the designation criteria set out in Security Council Resolution 1988 (2011), and notes that means of financing or supporting these individuals, groups, undertakings and entities includes but is not limited to proceeds derived from illicit cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotic drugs and their precursors originating in and transiting through Afghanistan, and encourages the continuation of such cooperation;

Stresses the role of UNAMA in supporting, if requested by the Government of Afghanistan, an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of peace and reconciliation, including the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme, while continuing to assess, including in collaboration with the AIHRC, its human rights and gender implications, including the promotion and protection of human rights, and encourages the international community to assist the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan in this regard including through continued support to the Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund;

Commends the outcome of the Istanbul Conference for Afghanistan held on 2 November 2011 and welcomes the ongoing Afghan-led regional effort within the framework of the Istanbul Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan and calls on Afghanistan and its regional partners to continue to enhance regional dialogue and confidence;

Welcomes ongoing efforts by the Government of Afghanistan, its neighbouring and regional partners and international organizations including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to foster trust and cooperation with each other as well as recent cooperation initiatives developed by the countries concerned and regional organizations, including the Trilateral Summits of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey, the Trilateral Summit of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan in February 2012 in Islamabad as well as SCO and SAARC, and further welcomes the reaffirmation in the outcome documents of the Istanbul and Bonn Conferences of the principles set out in the Good Neighbourly Relations Declaration of 2002;

Stresses the importance of increasing cooperation between Afghanistan and its international and regional partners against the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent and extremist groups and illegal armed 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;

Calls for strengthening the process of regional cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional trade and transit, including through regional and bilateral transit trade agreements, expanded consular visa cooperation and facilitation of business travel, to expand trade, to increase foreign investments and to develop infrastructure, including infrastructural connectivity, energy supply, transport and integrated border management, with a view to promoting sustainable economic growth and the creation of jobs in Afghanistan, noting the historic role of Afghanistan as a land bridge in Asia and looks forward to the Fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) to be held in Tajikistan on 26-27 March 2012;

Reaffirms the central role played by the JCMB in coordinating, facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and the National Priority Programmes and calls upon all relevant actors to enhance their cooperation with the JCMB in this regard with a view to further improve its efficiency;

Calls on international donors and organizations and the Afghan Government to adhere to their commitments made at the Kabul Conference and previous international conferences, as reaffirmed at the Bonn Conference, and reiterates the importance of further efforts in improving aid coordination and effectiveness, including by ensuring transparency, combating corruption; and enhancing the capacity of Government of Afghanistan to coordinate aid;

Calls upon the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, including ISAF and the 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 and other violent and extremist groups, illegal armed groups, criminals and those involved in the production, trafficking or trade of illicit drugs;

Reiterates the importance of increasing, in a comprehensive framework, the functionality, professionalism and accountability of the Afghan security sector through appropriate vetting procedures, training, mentoring, equipping and empowerment efforts, for both women and men, in order to accelerate progress towards the goal of self-sufficient and ethnically balanced Afghan security forces providing security and ensuring the rule of law throughout the country and stresses the importance of the long-term commitment by the international community, beyond 2014, to ensure a capable, professional and sustainable Afghan National Security Force;

Welcomes in this context the continued progress in the development of the Afghan National Army and its improved ability to plan and undertake operations, and encourages sustained training efforts, including through the contribution of trainers, resources and Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams through the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, and advice in developing a sustainable defence planning process as well as assistance in defence reform initiatives;

Takes note of the ongoing efforts of the Afghan authorities to enhance the capabilities of the Afghan National Police, calls for further efforts towards that goal and stresses the importance, in this context, of international assistance through financial support and provision of trainers and mentors, including the contribution of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) contribution to this mission and the European Union through its police mission (EUPOL Afghanistan);

Welcomes the progress in the implementation by the Afghan Government of the programme of disbandment of illegal armed groups and its integration with the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Programme, and calls for accelerated and harmonized efforts for further progress, with support from the international community;

Condemns in the strongest terms all attacks, including Improvised Explosive Device attacks, suicide attacks, assassinations and abductions, targeting civilians and Afghan and international forces and their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan, and condemns further the use by the Taliban and other extremist groups of civilians as human shields;

Condemns also attacks against humanitarian workers, emphasizing that the attacks impede efforts to aid the people of Afghanistan, and underlines the need for all parties to ensure full, safe and unhindered access of all humanitarian actors, including United Nations staff and associated personnel, and comply fully with applicable international humanitarian law;

Welcomes the achievements to date in the implementation of the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan, and encourages the Government of Afghanistan, with the support of the United Nations and all the relevant actors, to continue its efforts towards the removal of anti-personnel landmines, anti-tank landmines and explosive remnants of war in order to reduce the threats posed to human life and peace and security in the country; and expresses the need to provide assistance for the care, rehabilitation, and economic and social reintegration of victims, including persons with disabilities;

Recognizes the progress made by ISAF and other international forces in minimizing the risk of civilian casualties, as described in the 4 February 2012 UNAMA report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and calls on them to continue to take robust efforts in this regard, notably by the continuous review of tactics and procedures and the conduct of after-action reviews and investigations in cooperation with the Afghan Government in cases where civilian casualties have occurred and when the Afghan Government finds these joint investigations appropriate;

Expresses its strong concern about the recruitment and use of children by Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent and extremist groups in Afghanistan as well as the killing and maiming of children as a result of the conflict, reiterates its strong condemnation of the recruitment and use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law and all other violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict, in particular attacks against schools, education and health care facilities, and the use of children in suicide attacks and calls for those responsible to be brought to justice;

Stresses the importance of implementing Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011), in this context, supports the decree by the Minister of the Interior reaffirming the government’s commitment to preventing violations of the rights of the child dated 6 July 2011, welcomes the establishment of the Afghan Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on Children and Armed Conflict and the subsequent signing by the Afghan Government of the action plan, and its annex, on children associated with national security forces in Afghanistan and calls for the full implementation of the provisions of the plan, in close cooperation with UNAMA, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to give priority to the child protection component of UNAMA;

Remains concerned at the serious harm that opium cultivation, production and trafficking and consumption continue to cause to the security, development and governance of Afghanistan as well as to the region and internationally, takes note of the UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey 2011 released in October 2011, calls on the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to accelerate the implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy, including through alternative livelihood programmes, and to mainstream counter-narcotics throughout national programmes, and encourages additional international support for the four priorities identified in that Strategy, commends the support provided by the UNODC to the Triangular Initiative and the Central Asian Regional Coordination and Information Centre (CARICC) within the framework of the Paris Pact Initiative and the Rainbow Strategy and the UNODC regional programme for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries; as well as the contribution of the Domodedovo Police Academy of Russia;

Calls upon States to strengthen international and regional cooperation to counter the threat to the international community posed by the production, trafficking, and consumption of illicit drugs originating in Afghanistan, with a view to its progressive elimination, in accordance with the principle of common and shared responsibility in addressing the drug problem of Afghanistan, including through strengthening the law enforcement capacity and cooperation against the trafficking in illicit drugs and precursor chemicals and money-laundering and corruption linked to such trafficking, and calls for full implementation of its resolution 1817 (2008);

Appreciates the work of the Paris Pact initiative and its “Paris-Moscow” process in countering the production, trafficking and consumption of opium and heroin from Afghanistan and the elimination of poppy crops, drug laboratories and stores as well as the interception of drug convoys, underlines the importance of border management cooperation and welcomes the intensified cooperation of the relevant United Nations institutions with the OSCE and the CSTO in this regard;

Reiterates the importance of the full, sequenced, timely and coordinated implementation of the National Priority Programme on Law and Justice for All, by all the relevant Afghan institutions and other actors in view of accelerating the establishment of a fair and transparent justice system, eliminating impunity and contributing to the affirmation of the rule of law throughout the country;

Stresses in this context the importance of further progress in the reconstruction and reform of the prison sector in Afghanistan, in order to improve the respect for the rule of law and human rights therein, emphasizes the importance of ensuring access for relevant organizations, as applicable, to all prisons and places of detention in Afghanistan, and calls for full respect for relevant international law including humanitarian law and human rights law, noting the recommendations contained in the report of the Assistance Mission dated 10 October 2011;

Notes with strong concern the effects of widespread corruption on security, good governance, counter-narcotics efforts and economic development, and urges the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to vigorously lead the fight against corruption, and to enhance its efforts to establish a more effective, accountable and transparent administration and notes the commitments and efforts of the Government of Afghanistan in this regard;

Encourages all Afghan institutions, including the executive and legislative branches, to work in a spirit of cooperation, calls on the Afghan Government to pursue continued legislative and public administration reform in order to tackle corruption and to ensure good governance, as agreed at the Bonn Conference, with full representation of all Afghan women and men, and accountability at both national and subnational levels, and stresses the need for further international efforts to provide technical assistance in this area and reiterates the importance of the full, sequenced, timely, and coordinated implementation of the National Priority Programme on National Transparency and Accountability in this regard;

Calls for full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including those of human rights defenders, and of international humanitarian law throughout Afghanistan, welcomes the growth in Afghan free media, but notes with concern the continued restrictions on freedom of media, and attacks against journalists, commends the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) for its courageous efforts to monitor respect for human rights in Afghanistan as well as to foster and protect these rights and to promote the emergence of a pluralistic civil society, applauds AIHRC for its organization of the Civil Society Forum at the Bonn Conference, stresses the importance of full cooperation with the AIHRC by all relevant actors and of allowing their independence as well as of ensuring their safety, and supports broad engagement across government agencies and civil society for the realization of the mutual commitments made, including the commitment to provide sufficient government financing for the AIHRC;

Recognizes that despite progress achieved on gender equality, enhanced efforts, including on measurable and action oriented objectives, are necessary to secure the rights of women and girls and to ensure all women and girls in Afghanistan are protected from violence and abuse, enjoy equal protection under the law and equal access to justice, strongly condemns discrimination and violence against women and girls, in particular violence aimed at preventing girls from attending schools, stresses the importance of implementing Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010), notes the mainstreaming commitments introduced therein, and of ensuring that women fleeing domestic violence are able to find safe and secure refuge;

Welcomes the Afghan Government’s commitment to strengthen the participation of women in all Afghan governance institutions, including elected and appointed bodies and the civil service, supports efforts to accelerate implementation of the National Action Plan for Women in Afghanistan (NAPWA), to integrate its benchmarks into the National Priority Programmes and to develop a strategy to implement fully the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law, including services to victims, recalls that the promotion and protection of women’s rights are an integral part of peace, reintegration and reconciliation, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to include in its reports to the Security Council relevant information on the process of integration of women into the political, economic and social life of Afghanistan;

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;

Affirms also the importance of voluntary, safe, orderly return and sustainable reintegration of internally displaced persons;

Notes the need to continue to strengthen, with the support of the international community, Afghanistan’s absorption capacity for the full rehabilitation and reintegration of the remaining Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons;

Requests that the Secretary-General reports to the Council every three months on developments in Afghanistan, 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 and priorities as set out in this resolution;

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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