A/RES/67/16
phased completion in the remaining parts of the country and to the mid-2013
milestone, when all areas will have entered the transition process and Afghan forces
will be in the lead for security nationwide, underlining also the continuing role of
the Assistance Force in support of the Government and in promoting a responsible
transition and the importance of the enhancement of the operational capabilities of
the Afghan National Security Forces, and stressing the long-term commitment,
beyond 2014, of the international community to support the further development,
including training, and professionalization of the Afghan National Security Forces
and their capacity to counter continued threats to Afghanistan’s security, with a view
to establishing lasting peace, security and stability,
Welcoming the joint Chicago Summit Declaration on Afghanistan, which
stresses the long-term commitment of countries contributing to the Assistance Force,
beyond 2014, to lasting peace, security and stability in Afghanistan, noting the
responsibility of the Government of Afghanistan to sustain sufficient and capable
Afghan National Security Forces supported by the international community,
welcoming in this context the decision of the international community, taken at the
Bonn Conference, to support the training, equipping, financing and capability
development of the Afghan National Security Forces beyond the end of the transition
period, welcoming, as reaffirmed in the Chicago Summit Declaration, the financial
sustainment of the Afghan National Security Forces with a clear view to the
assumption, no later than 2024, of full financial responsibility for its own security
forces by the Government, and welcoming also the decision of the Government and
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to
work towards continuing to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Security
Forces after 2014,
Welcoming also the process by which Afghanistan and its regional and
international partners are entering into long-term strategic partnership and other
agreements, aimed at achieving a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan,
Reiterating the urgent need to tackle the challenges in Afghanistan, in
particular the ongoing violent criminal and terrorist activities by the Taliban,
Al-Qaida and other violent and extremist groups and criminals, including those
involved in the narcotics trade, and the development of Government of Afghanistan
institutions, including at the subnational level, the strengthening of the rule of law
and democratic processes, the fight against corruption, the acceleration of justice
sector reform, the promotion of national reconciliation, without prejudice to the
fulfilment of the measures introduced by the Security Council in resolutions
1267 (1999) of 15 October 1999 and 1988 (2011) and 1989 (2011) of 17 June 2011
and other relevant resolutions, an Afghan-led transitional justice process, the safe
and voluntary return of Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons in an
orderly and dignified manner, the promotion and protection of human rights and the
advancement of economic and social development,
Deeply concerned about the continued high level of violence in Afghanistan,
condemning in the strongest terms all violent attacks, and recognizing in that regard
the continuously alarming threats posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent
and extremist groups and illegal armed groups, as well as the challenges related to
the efforts to address such threats,
Expressing its serious concern about the high number of civilian casualties,
recalling that the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent and extremist groups and
illegal armed groups are responsible for the significant majority of the civilian
casualties in Afghanistan, and calling for compliance with international
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