NEW YORK (dpa) – The United Nations Security Council was requested Tuesday to renew the mandate of its mission in Afghanistan for another 12 months in order to maintain international support for that country. The current mandate will expire March 23. The recommendation for the mandate renewal was made by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who said the mission will continue to support the transition of sovereign responsibilities to Kabul and development program underway there. The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has more than 1,700 civilian personnel; the majority of them are Afghans, who work for UN agencies in diverse fields ranging from security and development to building democratic institutions. “Afghanistan remains a country with significant development deficiencies and shortfalls, exacerbated by protracted conflict and recurrent natural hazards,” Ban said in a report to the 15-nation council. The natural hazards include flooding, drought, extreme winter conditions and earthquakes. NATO, which provides the bulk of security support to Kabul, is scheduled to meet in May in Chicago to discuss the “future shape, and support for Afghan security institutions,” Ban said. He said security may have improved in some areas in Afghanistan where Afghan police were operating, but human rights abuses have also been documented. He called for clear lines of accountability and command and control among security institutions like the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/YmTpN Tags: Afghanistan, Extends, Mission, UN Section: Asia, Human Rights, International, Latest News
