A/RES/56/220 A-B B E MERGENCY INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR PEACE, NORMALCY AND RECONSTRUCTION OF WAR -STRICKEN A FGHANISTAN The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 55/174 B of 19 December 2000 and all its previous relevant resolutions, Strongly welcoming the successful conclusion of the agreement reached among various Afghan groups in Bonn, Germany, on 5 December 2001, 1 Expressing its grave concern at the decades of conflict in Afghanistan, which has caused massive loss of life, extensive human suffering, destruction of property, serious damage to the economic and social infrastructure, refugee flows and other forcible displacements of large numbers of people, Mindful of the fact that Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and that it is currently affected by the worst drought in living memory, Remaining deeply concerned at the problem of millions of anti-personnel landmines and unexploded ordnance, which constitutes a great danger for the civilian population and a major obstacle to the return of refugees and displaced populations, to the resumption of agricultural activities, to the provision of humanitarian assistance and to future rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, Noting with deep concern that the majority of the Afghan people are still unable to enjoy fully their human rights and fundamental freedoms owing to policies and practices, particularly of the Taliban, aimed at discriminating against or marginalizing parts of the population, in particular women and children, a situation which is exacerbated by the effects of war, poverty and profound underdevelopment, Expressing its deep concern at widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed by Afghan groups, and in this regard reminding all Afghan groups of their commitment to respect human rights in the country as contained in the Bonn agreement, Deeply disturbed by the continuing security threat to humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel, including locally recruited staff, Expressing its appreciation to the Afghan staff of the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations, who have continued to provide assistance to vulnerable populations throughout the current crisis, Noting with grave concern that limited access to certain areas of Afghanistan and inadequate conditions for the delivery of aid threatens the well-being of internally displaced persons and vulnerable sections of the civilian population, Recognizing that a secure environment is absolutely necessary for the safe and effective delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance, Welcoming the timely preparation of operational plans by the United Nations in response to the latest humanitarian crisis, and affirming the urgent need to reinforce international emergency assistance to Afghanistan in order to alleviate the human suffering and restore basic services, Recognizing the need to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy and process for a seamless connection between humanitarian relief and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan in a timely manner, with particular emphasis on 4