NEW YORK - Cautioning against a militarization of the overall effort towards greater peace and democracy in Afghanistan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says there is growing consensus for a political process to end the conflict, as well as for the establishment of a programme to reintegrate low- and mid-level insurgents who wish to give up fighting.

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“Above all, efforts to end the conflict must result in a strengthened political order underpinned by the constitution,” the Secretary-General says in his latest report on the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

“Those who choose to reconcile must respect the achievements made since 2002 and accept the aspirations of the majority of Afghans to a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan where each and every Afghan can enjoy his or her rights as enshrined in the Afghan constitution,” Mr. Ban adds.

In his report, the Secretary-General notes that President Hamid Karzai plans to hold a peace jirga, or grand assembly of elders, on reconciliation next month. The UN is also planning a major international gathering on the way forward for the country that is scheduled to take place later this year in Kabul.

With both of these events on the horizon, Mr. Ban calls in his report for the international community to support the Afghan political process and to respect the people’s own understanding of their country.

“There is no sovereignty without capacity and responsibility, and the purpose of the transition is to ensure that the Government of Afghanistan has both sufficient capacity and sufficient responsibility to exercise actual sovereignty,” the Secretary-General writes.

The Security Council is expected to review the report on Thursday and vote next week on Mr. Ban’s recommendation to renew UNAMA’s mandate for another 12 months.

The new UN envoy to Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, arrived in Kabul this weekend to replace outgoing envoy Kai Eide. The Secretary-General notes this transition in the report, praising Mr. Eide for having lived up to the words when he first arrived – that he was there to serve the people.

The report also pays tribute to the men and women of UNAMA who daily “make the ideals of the United Nations into a reality.”