United Nations Security Council Report on the Situation in Afghanistan: Humanitarian Crisis and Women's Rights

Key Chapter Title List

1. Asia
2. 14. Situation in Afghanistan
3. Meetings: Situation in Afghanistan in 2023
4. Summary of Briefings by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan
5. Analysis of Security Council Resolutions and Voting Outcomes
6. Positions and Statements by Representatives of Various Countries
7. Briefings and Recommendations by Civil Society Representatives
8. Reports by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and UN Women
9. Independent Assessments and Reports by Special Coordinators
10. Functions and Challenges of the Sanctions Committee (1988 Committee)
11. Related Security Threats (including ISIL-K)
12. 15. Situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Document Introduction

This report is based on the complete records of nine meetings (including six briefings and three resolution adoption meetings) and seven informal plenary consultations held by the United Nations Security Council in 2023 on the agenda item "Situation in Afghanistan," along with relevant Secretary-General's reports, Security Council resolutions, and the independent assessment report authorized under Resolution 2679. The report systematically outlines the severe challenges faced by Afghanistan in the political, security, human rights, and humanitarian fields following the Taliban's assumption of power as the de facto authorities. It particularly focuses on how the systematic infringement of the rights of women and girls has exacerbated the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

The core content of the report is clearly structured. It first provides an overview of the Security Council's 2023 agenda and key outputs concerning Afghanistan, including the unanimously adopted Resolutions 2678, 2679, and 2681, as well as Resolution 2721 adopted at the end of the year with 13 votes in favor and 2 abstentions. Subsequently, the report details the key findings from the quarterly briefings by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). These findings cover the Taliban's issuance of over 50 decrees aimed at excluding women from public life and education, the implementation of judicial torture, the suppression of media and civil society, economic hardships, the enforcement of the opium cultivation ban, threats posed by the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K), and the impact of climate change.

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the divergences and consensus in the positions of Security Council members and other invited countries (including Afghanistan's neighbors). The majority of member states strongly condemned the Taliban's policies infringing on women's human rights, called for the immediate revocation of related bans, and supported UNAMA's full mandate. While also emphasizing concern for women's rights, China and the Russian Federation placed greater emphasis on the need to unfreeze Afghanistan's overseas assets, enhance humanitarian assistance, promote economic development, and advocated for resolving issues through pragmatic engagement and dialogue with the de facto authorities, opposing the forced appointment of a Special Envoy for Afghanistan without consultation. The report also includes sharp briefings from several civil society organizations, which characterized the Taliban's policies as "gender persecution" and "institutionalized gender apartheid," and called on the Security Council to adopt stronger accountability measures.

Finally, the report assesses the evolution of the international community's response strategies, particularly the "more coordinated and coherent international engagement approach" advocated by the independent assessment report and the subsequent developments following the Security Council's decision to appoint a Special Envoy to promote the implementation of the assessment's recommendations. The report also notes that, despite the immense challenges, there remains limited space for cooperation between UNAMA and the de facto authorities in specific areas such as climate, mine action, and counter-narcotics. This report provides a firsthand, authoritative documentary foundation and analytical framework for studying contemporary Afghan issues, the United Nations crisis response mechanisms, and international geopolitical dynamics.