Participation

Recalling all its relevant resolutions on WOMEN and peace and security, on children and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts,

44. Welcomes the Afghan Government's commitment to strengthen the participation of WOMEN in all Afghan governance institutions, including elected and appointed bodies and the civil service, notes the progress in this regard, welcomes its continued efforts to protect and promote the full participation of WOMEN in the electoral process, supports efforts to accelerate full implementation of the National Action Plan for WOMEN in Afghanistan, to integrate its benchmarks into the National Priority Programmes and to develop a strategy to implement fully the Elimination of Violence Against WOMEN law, including services to victims and access to justice, recalls that the promotion and protection of WOMEN's rights are an integral part of peace, reintegration and reconciliation, recalls that WOMEN play a vital role in the peace process, welcomes the Afghan Government's commitment to developing, implementing and monitoring the National Action Plan on WOMEN, Peace and Security and identifying further opportunities to support the participation of WOMEN in the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, notes the UNAMA report into the Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against WOMEN in Afghanistan, and the importance of its full implementation, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to include in his reports to the Sec urity Council relevant information on the process of integration of WOMEN into the political, economic and social life of Afghanistan;

43. Recognizes that despite progress achieved on GENDER equality, enhanced efforts, including on measurable and action oriented objectives, are necessary to secure the rights and full participation of WOMEN and girls and to ensure all WOMEN and girls in Afghanistan are protected from violence and abuse, that perpetrators of such violence and abuse must be held accountable, and that WOMEN and girls enjoy equal protection under the law and equal access to justice, emphasizes the importance of maintaining adequate legislative protections for WOMEN, strongly condemns discrimination and violence against WOMEN and girls, in particular violence aimed at preventing girls from attending schools, stresses the importance of implementing Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013) and and2122 (2013), notes the mainstreaming commitments introduced therein, and of ensuring that WOMEN fleeing domestic violence are able to find safe and secure refuge;

Government's continued efforts in pursuing legislative and public administration reform in order to tackle corruption and to ensure good governance, as agreed at the Bonn Conference, with full representation of all Afghan WOMEN and men, and accountability at both national and subnational levels, welcoming the issuance of the Presidential decree of July 2012, and stresses the need for further international efforts to provide technical assistance in this area, recognizes Government of Afghanistan efforts in this regard, and reiterates the importance of the full, sequenced, timely, and co-ordinated implementation of the National Priority Programme on National Transparency and Accountability;

14. Welcomes also the measures taken by the Government of Afghanistan, and encourages it to continue to increase the participation of WOMEN as well as minorities and civil society in outreach, consultation and decision-making processes, recalls that WOMEN play a vital role in the peace process, as recognized in Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions, therefore reiterates the need for the full, equal and effective participation of WOMEN at all stages of peace processes, and urges their involvement in the development and implementation of post-conflict strategies in order to take account of their perspectives and needs as affirmed by the Bonn and Tokyo Conferences;

Recalling its resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006) and 1894 (2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, its resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013) and 2122 (2013) on WOMEN and peace and security, and its resolution 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009), 1998 (2011), 2068 (2012) and 2143 (2014) on children and armed conflict, and 2117 (2013) on small arms and light weapons, and taking note of the reports of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict ( S/2013/245 ) and the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict ( S/2013/689 ), as well as the conclusions of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict ( S/AC.51/2011/3 ),

Stressing the central and impartial role that the United Nations will continue to play in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan by leading the efforts of the international community, including, jointly with the Government of Afghanistan, the coordination and monitoring of efforts in implementing the Kabul Process through the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) in support of the priorities set up by the Government of Afghanistan and affirmed at the Tokyo Conference; and expressing its appreciation and strong support for the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative for Afghanistan and in particular the WOMEN and men of UNAMA who are serving in difficult conditions to help the people of Afghanistan,

Reaffirming that sustainable progress on security, governance, human rights, including the rights of WOMEN and girls, rule of law and development as well as the cross-cutting issues of counter-narcotics, anti-corruption and accountability are mutually reinforcing and that governance and development programmes prioritized for implementation in transition should be consistent with the goals set forth in the Tokyo Declaration and the National Priority Programmes, and welcoming the continuing efforts of the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to address these challenges through a comprehensive approach,

Emphasizing the Kabul Process towards the primary objective of accelerated Afghan leadership and ownership, strengthened international partnership and regional cooperation, improved Afghan governance, enhanced capabilities of Afghan security forces, economic growth and better protection for the rights of all Afghan citizens, including WOMEN and girls, and welcoming specifically the commitments made by the Afghan Government,

Recognizing the efforts of the Government of Iraq in the promotion and protection of the rights of WOMEN and reaffirming its resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 and(2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013) on WOMEN, peace, and security and reiterating the need for the full, equal, and effective participation of WOMEN; calling on all parties to protect the civilian population, in particular WOMEN and children, especially in light of recent violence; expressing grave concern at the recruitment and use of children by ISIL and other armed groups in violation of international law; reaffirming the key role WOMEN can play in re-establishing the fabric of society and stressing the need for their full political participation, including in peace and political-decision making processes and the development of national strategies in order to take into account their perspectives, and looking forward to the full implementation of Iraq 's National Action Plan on Security Council resolution 1325,