Expresses its strong concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, stresses the need to continue to address the threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan caused by increased violent and terrorist activity by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other extremist and criminal groups, including those involved in the narcotics trade, and strongly condemns all acts of violence and intimidation committed in Afghanistan, in particular in the southern and eastern parts, including suicide attacks; stresses the importance of further extending central government authority, including the presence of Afghan security forces, to all provinces; urges the Afghan authorities to take all possible steps to ensure the safety, security and free movement of all UN, development and humanitarian personnel, and their safe and unhindered access to all affected populations, and to protect the property of the United Nations and of development or humanitarian organizations; stresses the need to fully implement the human rights provisions of the Afghan Constitution, including those regarding the full enjoyment by women and children of their human rights; applauds the establishment of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance by the Government of Afghanistan, calls upon Afghan authorities and the international community to actively support the work of the Directorate to establish and strengthen governance institutions at subnational levels and ensure that those institutions play a strong role in facilitating the delivery of national activities and programmes to improve the well-being of the Afghan people; expresses its concern at the worsening humanitarian situation and calls for urgent international support for and the early fulfilment of the funding target of the emergency appeal to address the high food price and drought crisis; urges the Government of Afghanistan, supported by the international community, to work to mainstream counter-narcotics throughout all the national programmes and to ensure that counter-narcotics is a fundamental part of the comprehensive approach, as well as to increase its efforts against opium cultivation and drug trafficking in accordance with the balanced eight-pillar plan of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy.

Adopted without vote, 42nd plenary meeting

13 p.

Issued in GAOR, 63rd sess., Suppl. no. 49.