21 June 2010 - The 15-member United Nations Security Council today arrived in Kabul to assess the situation in the lead-up to the Security Council debate on Afghanistan scheduled for late June.

The Security Council’s visit is also to demonstrate their continued support for the Government and the people of Afghanistan as they strengthen the foundations to ensure a sustainable peace for all.

The Security Council will review progress made by the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, assess the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions and will look ahead to issues on the agenda for the Kabul Conference.

The Security Council members will meet with President Hamid Karzai, senior members of the Government and other Afghan authorities and institutions, as well as with members of civil society. They will also meet members of the international community and with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The visit is coordinated by the Permanent Representative of Turkey and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. Mexico currently has the Presidency of the Security Council. Other Member States currently serving on the Security Council, and making up the delegation, are: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, France, Gabon, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• Relevant Security Council resolutions: 1806 (2008), 1868 (2009) and 1917 (2010).

• The visit is a regular activity of the Security Council, which seeks to visit countries where the United Nations has peacekeeping and political peace missions across the world.

• On 22 March 2010, the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was renewed by UN Security Council Resolution 1917 (2010).

• Staffan de Mistura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, leads UNAMA.

• On 19 November 1946, Afghanistan was admitted as a Member of the United Nations.

• For more information see http://unama.unmissions.org/