KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amnesty International criticized the UN Security Council’s decision to extend the mandate of the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for only three months, saying the move undermines sustained international monitoring of human rights under Taliban rule.
In a statement released hours after the council’s unanimous vote, Amnesty said the unusually short renewal, which runs until June 17, comes as the human rights situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate sharply.
“A one-year renewal would have provided the stability and predictability needed for the mission to focus on implementing its mandate, particularly its work on human rights monitoring and reporting, as well as its Women, Peace and Security components,” the rights group said.
It added that short-term extensions risk reopening negotiations on the mandate, diverting attention from implementation and potentially weakening sustained international scrutiny of the Taliban’s actions.
Amnesty called for any future review of the mission’s mandate to be transparent and to include direct consultations with Afghans, especially women, civil society organizations, and minority groups.
The council on Monday unanimously extended UNAMA’s current mandate for three months rather than the customary one-year term. The United States, a permanent member, opposed a proposed 12-month extension and instead pushed for a technical rollover to allow time to assess the mission’s effectiveness and costs.
Established in 2002 to support the Bonn Agreement, UNAMA’s mandate has changed over time. After the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, the Security Council refocused the mission on coordinating humanitarian aid and monitoring and reporting on human rights.
The mission continues to submit quarterly reports to the council on humanitarian and human rights developments and has facilitated multiple rounds of UN-led talks in Doha and, most recently, in Kabul, involving Taliban representatives, regional states, and other stakeholders.
