Location: Kabul, Afghanistan
Website: https://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=12255&language=en-US
UNAMA is a UN political mission established in 2002 to assist the Afghan government in ‘laying the foundations for sustainable peace and development in the country.’ As of August 2014, it consisted of 1559 civilian staff (predominantly Afghan citizens), 14 military advisors and 2 police advisors, with a permanent field presence in 13 Afghan provinces and liaison offices in Pakistan and Iran. Its mandate was renewed in 2015 by the Security Council’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 2210, which made explicit the need for UNAMA to support the Afghan government’s ban on ammonium nitrate fertiliser and to help regulate explosive materials and precursor chemicals.
UNAMA produces regular reports. The 2015 midyear report recorded a drop in the number of IED casualties, but a 78% increase in civilian casualties of suicide attacks from the same period in 2014.
UNAMA undertakes a range of activities aimed at minimising the impact of the armed conflict on civilians including:
- Independent and impartial monitoring of incidents involving loss of life or injury to civilians;
- Advocacy to strengthen protection of civilians affected by the armed conflict;
- Initiatives to promote compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law, and the Constitution and laws of Afghanistan among all parties to the conflict
This profile is part of AOAV’s investigation into counter-IED (C-IED) actors around the globe. To see the list of all C-IED actors recorded by AOAV, see here. To see those engaged in the Middle East, the Sahel, North Africa or other highly impacted countries please see here, here, here, and here respectively. This research was made possible by funding from the NATO Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Centre of Excellence (C-IED COE). To read the full report, ‘Addressing the threat posed by IEDs: National, Regional and Global Initiatives’, see here.
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