The UN Security Council said it will vote Monday on a draft resolution to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, known as UNAMA, until June 17, 2026.
Last year, the council adopted a resolution extending UNAMA’s mandate until March 17, 2026. If approved, the new extension would last three months.
According to a new Security Council report, negotiations this year over the draft resolution to extend UNAMA’s mandate have been difficult and marked by disagreements among members.
The differences emerged after the United States proposed a three-month technical extension, arguing that a shorter renewal would allow the council to conduct a comprehensive review of UNAMA’s work before committing to a longer extension.
The United States argued that because UNAMA is one of the UN’s most costly special political missions and operates in a highly complex environment, the Security Council should first assess whether the mission remains appropriate and fully viable.
The report said that on March 3, China, which is responsible for drafting the resolution, circulated an initial draft among Security Council members that proposed extending UNAMA’s mandate for one year.
However, after consultations, China incorporated the US proposal for a three-month extension into the third revised draft.
UNAMA was established on March 28, 2002, under UN Security Council Resolution 1401. The mission’s mandate is to support the people of Afghanistan.
