United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan

6 | UNITED NATIONS STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR AFGHANISTAN 1. Introduction In 2021, the United Nations in Afghanistan embarked on the development of a new multi-year integrated strategic planning framework to replace the outgoing 'One UN for Afghanistan 2018-2021.' That framework was intended to be the basis of the UN's future partnership and engagement with the then-Government and the people of Afghanistan towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, just a few weeks later, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was removed by the Taliban, which became the de facto authority in the country. This transition impacted not only the political and security situation but also the country's overall development trajectory, with particularly severe implications for human rights, gender equality, and women's empowerment. Consequently, the United Nations in Afghanistan developed an interim 'Transitional Engagement Framework' to guide its collective work in 2022, thereby enabling partners to continue meeting the basic human needs of the Afghan population, in addition to the ongoing humanitarian response. In December 2022, the Transitional Engagement Framework was extended until the end of June 2023. The United Nations and its partners recognize that humanitarian aid alone will not be enough to sustainably address the large-scale and increasing human suffering of the Afghan people in the medium and long term. As such, humanitarian efforts should be complemented and reinforced with interventions addressing basic human needs that aim to reduce the humanitarian caseload over time and support Afghans - particularly women, girls, and other vulnerable groups -to a) build resilience to shocks, b) sustain livelihoods, c) protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, d) strengthen social cohesion and build social capital, and e) preserve hard-won development gains achieved over the past two decades, including with regard to service delivery. This approach is also important for the identification and achievement of durable solutions to displacement caused by conflict, climate change, and sudden onset natural disasters. In accordance with its commitment to provide assistance to the people of Afghanistan, to prevent further regression on sustainable development outcomes, and to provide a longer-term planning horizon while adapting to evolving needs, the UNCT in Afghanistan has developed a new multi-year strategic planning framework, articulated in this document. This effort spanned the humanitarian, development, and peace mandates of the United Nations in Afghanistan. - - This 'United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan' for 2023 to 2025 was developed in close coordination with donors and implementing partners. In the absence of a national development plan against which to align or a nationally led aid coordination architecture through which to coordinate non-humanitarian support, international partners through the multi-stakeholder Afghanistan Coordination Group (ACG) — have developed the 'ACG Framework for International Partner Support in Afghanistan' in parallel to the UN Strategic Framework. The ACG Framework outlines three complementary and mutually reinforcing joint priorities against which partners intend to align their support, including the UNCT through its own Strategic Framework. The priorities identified in both the ACG Framework and UN Strategic Framework are:

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