United Nations & Afghanistan

United Nations & Afghanistan

Matiullah Reg-237-fss/Bs P&I.R/f10 14-5-2013 Afghanistan location

Afghanistan Afghanistan, a mountainous country of approximately 652,000 square kilometers, shares borders with China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and a sector of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir that is controlled by Pakistan. About half of its territory is more than 2,000 metres above sea level.

In 2000, the United Nations Population Fund estimated the population of Afghanistan at some 22.7 million (the most recent census was in 1979, when the population was reported to be about 15.5 million) It is said that the population of Afghanistan is more then 30 million now . The major languages are Pashto and Dari/Farsi.

Un involvement in AfghanistanAfghanistan has long suffered from great power rivalry and foreign military intervention, including the bitter Anglo-Afghan wars of the nineteenth century. Beginning in 1979, the country again descended into a prolonged period of devastating conflict. A Soviet military intervention (1979-1988) took a heavy toll, as US-backed Islamic militants fought a bitter conflict against the Soviet occupiers. There followed a period of civil war and warlordism from 1988 to the mid-1990s, then rule by a government organized by the Islamic Taliban, and finally in 2001 a military intervention by the United States followed by further violence, instability and civil war.

Modern history

Modern historyThe Afghan nation began to emerge in the late eighteenth century. It was ruled, with brief interruptions, by a succession of monarchs whose consolidation of power was constantly undermined by civil wars and foreign invasions. The current borders of Afghanistan were delineated in the nineteenth century, as a result of the "great game" rivalry between Russia and Britain. Britain exerted some influence over Afghan foreign policy from the late nineteenth century until the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. Afghanistan joined the UN in 1946.

The un contributions through out the history from 1980s The 1980sEarly in 1980, the Security Council met to consider a response to the Soviet intervention, but a draft resolution condemning it was not passed, due to the negative vote of the USSR. The matter was then taken up in the General Assembly, which held an Emergency Special Session on Afghanistan over five days, from 10 to 14 January 1980. The Assembly adopted the first of a series of 'Situation in Afghanistan' resolutions (resolution ES-6/2), in which it deplored the armed intervention in Afghanistan, called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces, asked States to contribute humanitarian assistance, and asked the Secretary-General to keep it informed of developmentsUSSR withdrawal in result of an agreement

Following the exercise of the UN Secretary-General's good offices, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the USSR and the United States signed Agreements on the Settlement of the Situation Relating to Afghanistan under United Nations auspices on 14 April 1988. These provided for an end to foreign intervention in Afghanistan, and the USSR began withdrawing its forces. With the Security Council's agreement on 25 April 1988 (and subsequently authorized in resolution 622 of 31 October 1988), Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar set up a mission to monitor the withdrawal of foreign forces - the United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan (UNGOMAP) - and made plans to support the anticipated repatriation of refugees. The Soviet withdrawal was completed in February 1989.The rebels, however, who had not signed the agreements, maintained their fight against Najibullah's government and the civil war continued."

1990sFollowing the May 1987 agreement, the UN had begun strenuous efforts to coordinate humanitarian assistance. Afghanistan had long been designated by the UN as one of the world's least developed countries and war only made it more difficult to respond to the challenge of reconstruction and development. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that the area under agricultural cultivation in Afghanistan fell by 40 per cent between 1979 and 1991. In 1991, responsibility for Operation Salam - the UN's emergency relief programme for Afghanistan - was taken over by the Secretary-General's Personal Representative at the time, Benon Sevan. In that year, WFP provided 60,000 metric tons of food to needy Afghans, while FAO provided 6,800 tons of seed and more than half a million fruit and poplar saplings

1990s peace effort fails On 22 October, the Security Council adopted resolution 1076 (1996), calling on all Afghan parties to end hostilities and engage in a political dialogue aimed at achieving national reconciliation. It repeated its deep concern that the conflict provided fertile ground for terrorism and drug trafficking and called on the parties to halt such activities. The General Assembly, along with the Council, condemned the abduction from United Nations premises in Kabul of former President Najibullah and his brother on 26 September, and their subsequent brutal execution by the Taliban (Assembly resolution 51/108, Council statement S/PRST/1996/40). Najibullah had taken refuge there four years earlier, but repeated calls by the Secretary-General to allow his safe departure from the country had been ignored.

United nations continued the effortsFighting continued between the Taliban and Northern Alliance groups between 1997 and 2000, but military positions changed little. In July of 1997, the Secretary-General appointed Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Foreign Minister of Algeria, as his Special Envoy for Afghanistan, to consult with interested and relevant countries and parties and make recommendations on UN peacemaking activities there. He visited Afghanistan as part of a 13-nation tour and in October, with the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, convened a series of informal meetings with what became known as the "Six plus Two" group - composed of the six States bordering Afghanistan (China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) plus the United States and Russia.

Lakhdar ibrahimi in Kabul

Attacks on us embassies in Kenya and Tanzania Following the 7 August terrorist bomb attacks on United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, which claimed hundreds of lives, the Council adopted resolution 1193 (1998) on 28 August, which repeated its concern at the continuing presence of terrorists in the territory of Afghanistan. It condemned attacks on UN personnel in Taliban-held areas, including the killing of two Afghan staff members of the World Food Programme and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Jalalabad, and of the Military Adviser to UNSMA in Kabul. It also condemned the capture of the Consulate-General of Iran in Mazar-e-Sharif. On 8 December, by resolution 1214 (1998), the Council demanded that the Taliban stop providing sanctuary and training for international terrorists and their organizations and that all Afghan factions cooperate in bringing indicted terrorists to justice.

2000 and beyond

united nations focused on humanitarian efforts more than the conflict because of the Taliban government policies were not much in cooperating , and there were many other reasons involved , like Taliban were not able to bring their soft image in front of the world and whole world became against them their sanctuary for the al Qaida can also be counted as a very major reasons for the worst situation WFP aids

Refugee problems and returning process Between 1988 and 2000, more than 4.6 million Afghan refugees returned to their homes with UNHCR assistance, but as the fighting continued they were soon replaced by new refugees; themselves in need of clothing and housing from UNHCR and their host countries. All told, by the end of 2001 UNHCR had spent at least $1.2 billion for refugee operations in Pakistan, $352 million in Iran, and $72 million inside Afghanistan. As the year ended, some 2 million refugees remained in Pakistan and 1.5 million in Iran.

While returning

Post 11 SeptemberIn the escalation of the conflict in Afghanistan following the 11 September terrorist attack on the United States by the Afghan-based Al Qaeda group, the Security Council expressed support for the efforts of the Afghan people to replace the Taliban regime, once again condemned for allowing Afghanistan to be used as a base for the export of terrorism and for providing safe haven to Osama bin Laden.."

United nations contribution in financial sector for the afghan government and peopleOn 1 October 2011, in his address to a special week-long session of the General Assembly on terrorism, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, "As we summon the will and the resources needed to succeed in the struggle against terrorism, we must also care for all the victims of terrorism, whether they are the direct targets or other populations who will be affected by our common effort. That is why I have launched an alert to donors about the potential need for much more generous humanitarian assistance to the people of AfghanistanFinancial support That new alert called on the international community to provide $584 million to meet the humanitarian needs of some 7.5 million Afghan civilians over the following six months, with particular concern to ensure adequate food supplies ahead of winter setting in. Unfortunately, increasing conflict in Afghanistan, including the military response to the terrorist attacks on the US, compelled UN agencies to withdraw international staff from the country, and the flow of food and other essentials into the country was slowed or halted.

peace efforts starts againAs the situation unfolded, the UN continued its role in promoting dialogue among Afghan parties, aimed at establishing a broad-based, inclusive government. On 3 October, the Secretary-General reappointed Lakhdar Brahimi, who had resigned two years earlier, as his Special Envoy for Afghanistan.

New York meeting On 12 November, the "Six plus Two" group met in New York under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General, agreeing on the need for a broad-based and freely chosen Afghan government and pledging continued support for UN humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, as well as in refugee camps in neighbouring States. On 27 November, a conference on Afghanistan's reconstruction sponsored by UNDP, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, opened in Islamabad. Over 300 participants attended, including many from Afghanistan. Issues discussed included the role of women, the importance of education and the creation of a comprehensive health system.A further donor conference -- focusing on the immediate and longer-term needs of the country -- was held in Berlin in early December.

As a first step security for the up coming governmentAs a first step, the Afghan Interim Authority was established. On 20 December, the Security Council, by resolution 1386 (2001), authorized the establishment of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to help the Authority maintain security in Kabul and its surrounding areas. A historical moment on Bonn conference by the efforts of united nations On 22 December, in Kabul, the internationally recognized administration of President Rabbani handed power to the new Interim Afghan Administration, established in Bonn and headed by Chairman Hamid Karzai. Special Representative Ibrahimi moved to Kabul to commence his activities in support of the new Afghan Administration. At the same time, the first of the ISAF troops were deployed, under British control

Humanitarian efforts starts again by ease in situation With the easing of hostilities, WFP was able to deliver a record 114,000 metric tones of food aid in December - enough to feed 6 million people for two months. Still, by 20 December, only some $358 million of the nearly $662 million being sought for UN relief work in Afghanistan had been received, and the needs of only one agency - the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) - had been fully covered. And while the WFP had achieved 81 per cent of its funding requirements, UNHCR had secured only 59 per cent. As in the past, funds were mostly being donated for emergency relief, with very little for reconstruction and rehabilitationTokyo conference of the donors To maintain the momentum for international assistance to Afghanistan generated by the political process an International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance on Afghanistan was held in Tokyo on 21 and 22 January 2002. Addressing the Conference, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said such assistance would require $10 billion over a 10-year period, including $1.3 billion to cover immediate needs for 2002. That latter covers recurrent costs of the Interim Authority, as yet unfunded humanitarian assistance, and $376 million for quick impact and recovery projects "that are ready to go.The Tokyo Conference resulted in pledges of over $4.5 billion, which the Secretary-General described as "remarkably successful." He also praised its Interim Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai for welcoming international auditors to ensure that the money will be well spent.

Tokyo donor conference

Kofi Annan visit to Kabul Secretary-General Kofi Annan visited Kabul on 25 January to offer moral support to the new Interim Administration and to thank members of the United Nations staff in Afghanistan for their sustained effort to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

The first milestone of the Bonn Agreement was achieved with the announcement that same day of the composition of the Special Independent Commission for the Convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga (Pashto for grand council -- a traditional forum in which tribal elders can come together and settle affairs).

The Commission is composed of 21 members. It has the final authority for determining the procedures for and the number of people who will participate in the Emergency Loya Jirga, which will elect a Head of State for the Transitional Administration and will approve proposals for the structure and key personnel of the Transitional Administration. The Bonn Agreement sets out that free and fair elections must be held within two years of the establishment of the Loya Jirga.

Bonn conference

What happened after Bonn

After Hamid karzai become the president after , he completed the temporary term , He went for elections , and wins the elections The elections held by the help and assistance of the United Nations UNAMA (united Nations assistance mission in Afghanistan))The providing assistance financially and technically united nations paid their part which can be counted the most important effort in the history of Afghanistan

What is the united nations focus today They are working on rehabilitation and providing the afghans with their basic needs , and development projects , paying a huge amount of money to the ministry of development And UN habitat , and many huge projects like mille paiwastoon helping the people with cash to start their businesses and also to grow up economicallyHealth projects , helping addicts , awareness about the diseases and many

All these got one goal behind this , preventing the youth and all from destructive activities and motivating them towards the constructive What brings Bonn conference for Afghanistan The Bonn conference resulted the Afghanistan to have a government recognized by world and base that afghans are now able to build upon though there are many problems with it , but this the fact of bitterness on development of relations , infrastructure , and from many other aspects Thank you all Questions are will come