A/RES/73/88 The situation in Afghanistan Production, released on 19 November 2018, which, inter alia, notes a significant decrease in the production and cultivation of drugs, due in part to the drought affecting Afghanistan, notes that areas under cultivation remain at high levels, stresses the need to further strengthen joint, coordinated and resolute efforts by the Government, supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and international and regional actors, within their designated resp onsibilities, and encourages international and regional cooperation with Afghanistan in its sustained efforts to address drug production and trafficking; 41. Stresses the importance of a comprehensive and balanced approach in addressing the drug problem of Afghanistan, which, to be effective, must be integrated into the wider context of efforts carried out in the areas of security, governance, the rule of law, human rights and economic and social development, in particular in rural areas, including the development of improved alternative livelihood programmes; 42. Notes with great concern the strong nexus between the drug trade and terrorist activities by the Taliban, including the Haqqani Network, as well as Al-Qaida, ISIL (Da’esh) affiliates and other terrorist groups, violent and extremist groups and criminal groups, which pose a serious threat to security, the rule of law and development in Afghanistan and the region, and stresses the importance of the full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions in this regard, including resolutions 2255 (2015) and 2368 (2017), and in this regard emphasizes the need for the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) and the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) to continue to pay attention to the linkages between the proceeds of organized crime, inter alia, the illicit production of and trafficking in drugs and their chemical precursors and the financing, respectively, of the Taliban, including the Haqqani Network, and of ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities; 43. Calls upon the international community to continue to assist the Government of Afghanistan in its National Drug Control Strategy and National Drug Action Plan, calls for such efforts to eliminate the cultivation and production of, trafficking in and consumption of illicit drugs, increase support for Afghan law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, agricultural and rural development for the creation of improved alternative, licit livelihoods for farmers and demand reduction support, increase public awareness of counter-narcotics issues and build the capacity of drug control institutions and care and treatment centres for drug users, reiterates its call upon the international community to channel counter-narcotics funding through the Government of Afghanistan, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other relevant organizations and mechanisms to the extent possible, notes that the problem of production, cultivation, trafficking in and consumption of narcotic drugs, as well as the problem of precursors, should be addressed on the basis of the principle of common and shared responsibility of the Government and the international community, and welcomes and supports relevant international and regional projects and activities, including those carried out by Afghanistan, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Pakistan within the framework of the triangular initiative to counter narcotics, as well as the Paris Pact initiative; 8 __________________ 8 10/15 See S/2003/641, annex. 18-21201