Unanimously adopting resolution 2665 (2022), the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has extended for 12 months the mandate of the team monitoring sanctions against individuals and entities associated with the Taliban.
The UNSC made this decision on Friday, December 16.
According to the decision, the team will also continue to monitor sanctions against other Taliban-linked individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities which constitute threats to the “peace, stability, and security of Afghanistan”.
These sanctions continue against the Taliban at a time when the group is effectively ruling Afghanistan.
“The Council directed the Monitoring Team to gather information on instances of non-compliance with measures imposed in resolution 2255 (2015) and to keep the Committee established in paragraph 30 of resolution 1988 (2011) informed of such instances,” the UNSC said in a press release.
The Monitoring Team’s previous mandate expired on December 17.
Resolution 1988 was adopted on June 17, 2011, which imposes an assets freeze, travel ban, and an arms embargo on individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with the Taliban. On December 21, 2015, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2255 which reaffirmed these sanctions against Taliban-linked individuals and entities.
With the new resolution, the Council has now directed the Monitoring Team to gather information on instances of non-compliance with measures imposed in Resolution 1988 and 2255 and to keep the Committee for inclusion on the List informed about such instances.
Moreover, it encouraged Committee members to address issues of non-compliance and bring them to the attention of the Monitoring Team or the Committee, and further directed the Monitoring Team to provide recommendations to the Committee on actions taken to respond to non-compliance.
This comes as the Taliban have made repeated calls for lifting sanctions against the group.
To facilitate a reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the UNSC had also considered impunity for a travel ban against some Taliban leaders.
The travel ban expired without any progress in the reconciliation process and the impunity was not extended either.
