ReliefWeb

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/11 and Security Council resolution 2460 (2019), in which the Secretary-General was requested to report every three months on developments in Afghanistan.

2. The report provides an update on the activities of the United Nations in Afghanistan, including political, humanitarian, development and human rights efforts, since the issuance of his previous report, dated 14 June 2019 (A/73/902-S/2019/493).

II. Relevant developments

1. During the reporting period, campaigning started for the presidential elections scheduled for 28 September, as preparations for the vote continued. The United States of America continued to hold talks with the Taliban, and an intra -Afghan peace conference was convened in Qatar, with a view to reaching a negotiated settlement of the conflict. High-level engagements between the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan were carried out in a positive atmosphere. The security situation remained volatile, with heightened levels of conflict, in particular in the southern, eastern and south-eastern regions. Civilian casualties decreased in the first half of 2019 but remained at high levels. At a meeting of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board, representatives of the Government of Afghanistan, key donors and the United Nations discussed achievements under the Geneva Mutual Accountability Framework, as well as challenges in the Government’s ongoing reform efforts, in particular the slowing of progress on countering corruption. The humanitarian situation remained serious.