I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its 28 Member States.

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^* and Albania^*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, align themselves with this statement.

I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report, as well as for his report on the Strategic Review. I would also like to thank Special Representative Yamamoto for his briefing.

Mr. President,

As stated on several occasions, the EU strongly acknowledges the crucial role played by UNAMA and all the UN agencies in supporting the Afghan people, encouraging peace and reconciliation, monitoring and promoting human rights, and in coordinating the international community's assistance. The EU wishes to have the closest possible relationship with UNAMA, in a spirit of transparent and open cooperation on the ground and in international formats for the ultimate benefit of Afghanistan.

The EU supports President Ghani's peace offer to the Taliban extended at the February 2018 meeting of the Kabul process. The recent historic ceasefires between the Afghan government and the Taliban during Eid al-Fitr have given the Afghan people much needed respite from too many years of conflict. Popular support for this initiative was overwhelming: Afghans from all sides, Government officials, soldiers, Taliban, exchanging Eid greetings and attending prayers together, all this has given a sense of what peace in Afghanistan could look like.

The European Union commends both parties for honouring their commitments. President Ghani’s decision to offer a 10-day extension of the ceasefire was another courageous step to make way for peace negotiations and we call on the Taliban to reciprocate.

Meaningful and enduring peace in Afghanistan requires continuous and inclusive dialogue and engagement, and the EU is ready to accompany this process. In that light, the European Union supports the Kabul process for Peace and Security. HRVP Mogherini, at the Tashkent Conference on Peace, Security and Regional Development held on 28 March 2018, offered EU support for peace negotiations and increased EU assistance for women's empowerment, regional economic development and the reintegration of refugees and former fighters.

The EU reiterates the importance of the Afghan government and the Taliban moving towards a political settlement, which has to be Afghan-led and Afghan owned. Therefore the Kabul Process on Peace and Security should be the main international forum and vehicle to support such talks. Regional actors have an important role to play in facilitating the process.

The next Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan at the end of November in Geneva will be an important opportunity to highlight linkages between a future reconciliation process and broader political, economic and social challenges. The conference is also to take stock of the implementation of the Afghan Government's reform package committed to at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan in October 2016.

We support NATO-led Resolute Support Mission efforts to provide further training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions.

Mr. President,

Respect for human rights and democratic elections continue to be a focus for the EU's dialogue with the Afghan authorities and the EU's actions in the country.

Human rights form an integral part of the structured dialogue between the EU and Afghanistan under the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD). In this context, the first meeting of the Special Working Group on Human Rights, Good Governance and Migration was held on 5 May in Kabul, in which we held a substantial and open discussion about a wide range of topics in the field of human rights and good governance. The discussions confirmed that Afghanistan has sound legislation in various areas, or is about to adopt such legislation in the near future; what is still lacking, however, is effective implementation. In many areas there is definitely room for improvement and we identified during our dialogue some of the actions which need to be taken to ensure progress. Tangible measures against corruption, demonstrating the political will to address this issue, are of particular importance. Likewise efforts to protect and further expand girls and women’s rights and to enhance their empowerment must continue.

The application of the capital punishment remains a great concern for us, and the EU has underlined its principled opposition to any form of the death penalty. It has continued to call for an outright abolition of the death penalty in due course, starting with an immediate moratorium as a first step. On the other hand, it is positive that the new Afghan Penal Code significantly limits the number of crimes to which the death penalty can be applied.

The upcoming parliamentary and district elections in October are of vital importance for stability of Afghanistan. It is imperative that the elections take place according to schedule, in a credible transparent and inclusive manner, also in view of the credibility of government reforms that will be presented at the Ministerial Conference in Geneva. The EU notes with some concern that there are still actions to be taken to address delays in preparation of the elections, a lack of outreach to the provinces, and delays in setting up fully functional electoral institutions.

All efforts must be deployed now to resolve these difficulties, and make these elections possible in the announced timeframe. The successful organization of these elections will be an important prelude to next years’ presidential elections and can provide a firm foundation on which to begin preparations for that event. The EU and its Member States remain committed to support the Afghan electoral process. The EU has committed € 15.5 million to assist the parliamentary and district elections alongside other members of the international community and under the coordination of UNAMA.

Mr. President,

The EU and Afghanistan continue their comprehensive dialogue on migration. The last discussion on the EU-Afghanistan Joint Way Forward (JWF) took place on 6 May, in which Afghanistan reiterated its commitment to the implementation of the JWF and underlined the importance of dignified, safe and orderly returns and for special attention to be paid to vulnerable groups. This is something the EU and its Member States agree upon and we reiterated the fact that the implementation of the Joint Way Forward must be continued in a spirit of partnership, taking into account each party's sensitivities.

At the same time, the regional dimension of migration remains high on the EU's agenda and is addressed in the political dialogue and also through financial assistance. The EU has a strong commitment to address the key challenges of irregular migration and forced displacement in Afghanistan as well as in the region and to work towards finding a comprehensive regional solution, focusing on the root causes of migration and ensuring the sustainable reintegration of returned Afghan nationals within the country. To this end, the EU continued the implementation of the two regional programmes targeting migration and regional displacement in Asia.

Mr. President,

From 1 January to 31 March 2018, UNAMA recorded 2,258 civilian casualties in Afghanistan (763 deaths and 1,495 injured), reflecting a similarly high casualty toll compared to the first three months of 2016 and 2017. The persistently high levels of violence and its corresponding impact on civilians remains a deep concern for the EU. It is extremely worrying that the proportion of women and children killed and injured remains high. We call on all parties to protect the civilian population, especially women and children. Conflict-related violence also destroys livelihoods, homes and property, displaces families and limits access to education, health and other services.

We need to continue to protect the vital role of humanitarian agencies and respect their impartiality and the humanitarian space in addressing the most urgent needs of the most vulnerable.

To conclude, Mr. President,

It is important that the international community remains strongly committed to support Afghanistan towards long-term peace, security and stability. The EU expects that recent initiatives of president Ghani and of Afghan government will lead to the establishment of a genuine peace process. The EU continues to consider UNAMA as a key partner in achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan. UNAMA has an invaluable role in ensuring the broadest possible international support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process. The EU will continue to support these efforts with all the means at its disposal.

Thank you very much.

* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.