United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan - History

History

The United Nations have been involved in the region since 1946 when Afghanistan joined the General Assembly, with the UNDP carrying out aid and development work from the 1950s.

Human rights and development in Afghanistan have long been an issue in one of the least-developed countries of the world. In 1985 there was a Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, whose advice led the Security Council to condemn widespread disregard for human rights and large-scale violations in resolution 40/137.

In the early 1990s Operation Salam was the UN’s emergency relief operation, headed by Baron Sevan the Secretary-General’s Special Representative.

In December 1993 the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan was set up as a ‘bridging’ agency between the UN and the Afghan leaders. This made it easier for the UN to help Afghan leaders with national reconciliation and reconstruction.

On 7 October 2001 the foreign intervention in Afghanistan began as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the Afghan United Front (Northern Alliance) launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The primary driver of the invasion was the September 11 attacks on the United States, with the stated goal of dismantling the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization and ending its use of Afghanistan as a base. The United States also said that it would remove the Taliban regime from power and create a viable democratic state.

On 5 December 2001 the Bonn Agreement was signed in Germany by Afghan political groups opposing the Taliban. It was ratified by the Security Council the following day under Resolution 1383. Resolution 1386 confirmed the UN’s commitment to the agreement by authorising an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to help maintain security in Kabul and the surrounding areas.

Established in March 2002, established at the request of the Government to assist it and the people of Afghanistan in laying the foundations for sustainable peace and development. UNAMA has functioned as a highly influential body representing international and Afghan efforts at reconstruction and development.

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