UN mission in Afghanistan extended one more year

March 23rd, 2010 - 2:20 am ICT by BNO News  

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) – The Security Council voted today to extend the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another 12 months and to expand its mandate to include support for the parliamentary elections scheduled for September.

The mission was extended through March 23, 2011 following the recommendation of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his latest report on the work of the mission.

UNAMA has been in Afghanistan since March 2002 after the fall of the Taliban, and the council now responded to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s request of help in preparation for the parliamentary poll, by calling UNAMA to provide technical and logistical support.

In addition, the mission is mandated to manage all humanitarian, relief, recovery and reconstruction activities, but Monday’s resolution incorporated what had been an increasing call from senior UN officials for greater Afghan ownership over its domestic policy.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy expressed last week the importance of the international community in taking concrete steps to allow Afghans to be in charge of their country, while providing the necessary capacity-building and support to let them manage this role, including in civilian areas.

The challenge of establishing security in Afghanistan is still current for UNAMA activities as the mission temporarily relocated part of its staff out of Afghanistan in October 2009, after 12 people were killed in an attack on a guesthouse used by UN workers in Kabul.

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