home > by publication type > must reads > UN Report of the Secretary General: The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security
Email
June 23, 2009
I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 63/18, as well as Security Council resolution 1868 (2009), in which the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA) until 23 March 2010. In its resolution, the Security Council requested a report on developments in Afghanistan every three months. This report reviews the situation in Afghanistan and the activities of UNAMA since my report of 10 March 2009 (A/63/751-S/2009/135) and focuses on key developments over the reporting period.
II. Overview
2. In a strong political manifestation of support for Afghanistan, over 80 countries and organizations met in The Hague on 31 March, at the “International Conference on Afghanistan: a Comprehensive Strategy in a Regional Context”
hosted by the Government of the Netherlands and co-chaired by the United Nations, Afghanistan and the Netherlands. I was pleased to attend personally, along with President Hamid Karzai and Prime Minister Jan Balkenende. The Conference called for greater efforts and clearer direction in addressing the challenges of Afghanistan.
The priorities agreed at the International Conference in support of Afghanistan, held in Paris in June 2008, were reaffirmed. Statements made at the Conference demonstrated consensus on a more prioritized agenda for Afghanistan. In particular, it was agreed that well-funded and effective civilian capacity- and institution building programmes were as important as capacity-building programmes in the security sector and had to be given priority attention in a more focused strategy. The Chairmen’s Statement presented four priority areas: strengthened security, improved economic growth, good governance and enhanced regional cooperation, with detailed recommendations for each area.
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1.800.537.5487, fax +1.410.516.6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1.212.434.9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.