United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan
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UNITED NATIONS STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR AFGHANISTAN
community, persons with disabilities, human rights defenders, people who use drugs, and people
living with and affected by HIV.
Given the complex and highly fragile circumstances in the country and the non-normalization of
relations between the international community and the de facto authorities, this UN Strategic
Framework follows the United Nations Sustainable Development Group guidance on country-level
strategic planning for development in exceptional circumstances.²
It is important to emphasize that the primary duty bearers for delivering on the needs of all people in
Afghanistan without discrimination and for protecting their rights in accordance with international
norms and standards are the Taliban de facto authorities. Without a significant shift in their policies
and practices particularly in relation to the rights of women and girls — the people of Afghanistan
will continue to face increasing hardship.
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In addition, international humanitarian and basic human needs interventions will only be effective so
long as the de facto authorities make adequate investments in the equitable delivery of essential
services and economic enabling environment, including the removal of restrictions on access to
essential services for women and girls and to economic opportunities for women. Such restrictions
obstruct the trajectory of economic and social recovery and development in Afghanistan.
UN entities operating in Afghanistan will derive their respective country programming instruments
directly from the UN Strategic Framework to ensure maximum coherence and coordination across the
UN system for the delivery of collective results towards the SDGs. In addition, the UN Strategic
Framework also serves as an Integrated Strategic Framework, thereby integrating the mandate of the
UN special political mission in the country, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA).
The UN will configure its management, coordination, and implementation structures to enhance
system-wide coherence, efficiency, collaboration, and impact in support of the UN Strategic
Framework, including through the establishment of Results Groups aligned to its priorities and
outcomes. In the absence of a nationally led aid coordination architecture or a Joint UN-Government
Steering Committee, coordination of UN Strategic Framework implementation with external partners
will be primarily undertaken through the ACG and its subsidiary Strategic Thematic Working Groups
(STWGs).
The UN Strategic Framework will be made operational through output-level joint workplans towards
which all UN entities will contribute. Performance assessments against the joint workplans will form
the basis of an annual UNCT Results Report to ensure transparency and accountability of delivery. A
final evaluation of the UN Strategic Framework will be undertaken in the penultimate year of
implementation to inform the development of a successor plan.
Given the highly fragile and fluid context, the UN Strategic Framework will remain under regular
review to ensure it remains adaptable, flexible, and responsive to an evolving country context,
operational environment, and (most importantly) to the needs of the people of Afghanistan.
2 UNSDG (2022). Guidance on UN country-level strategic planning for development in exceptional circumstances. Available at
https://unsdg.un.org/resources/guidance-un-country-level-strategic-planning-development-exceptional-circumstancesView entire presentation