The situation in Afghanistan A/RES/68/11 conclusions of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict; 15 48. Expresses its strong concern, in this regard, about the ongoing recruitment and use of children by illegal armed and terrorist groups in Afghanistan, as well as the killing and maiming of children as a result of the conflict, stresses in this regard the importance of ending the recruitment and use of children in violation of applicable international law and all other violations and abuses committed against children, expresses appreciation for the progress made by and the firm commitment of the Government of Afghanistan to the protection of children, including its strong condemnation of any exploitation of children, as indicated by the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Children, the appointment of a focal point on child protection, the signing by the Government, in January 2011, of an action plan, including the annexes thereto, on children associated with national security forces in Afghanistan and the endorsement by the Government of a road map to accelerate compliance with the action plan, welcomes progress made in the implementation of the action plan, and calls for the full implementation of its provisions, in close cooperation with the Assistance Mission; 49. Recognizes the special needs of girls, strongly condemns continued terrorist attacks as well as threats of attacks on educational facilities, especially on those for Afghan girls, and/or hospitals and protected persons in relation to them in Afghanistan, in contravention of applicable international law, and expresses deep concern about the high number of school closures as a result of terrorist attacks or threats of attacks; 50. Welcomes the adoption by the Government of Afghanistan of the National Plan of Action on Combating Child Trafficking, calls for the comprehensive implementation of the Plan of Action, welcomes initiatives to amend and enforce legislation on human trafficking, guided by the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 16 and stresses the importance of considering becoming a party to the Protocol; Social and economic development 51. Takes note with appreciation of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy and the ideas outlined by the Government of Afghanistan in its strategy document entitled “Towards self-reliance: strategic vision for the transformation decade”, as well as of the national priority programmes contained therein, with their focus on economic growth, revenue generation, job creation, governance and human development; 52. Urgently appeals to all States, the United Nations system and international and non-governmental organizations, including the international and regional financial institutions, to continue to provide, in close coordination with the Government of Afghanistan and in accordance with the National Development Strategy and the strategy document entitled “Towards self-reliance: strategic vision for the transformation decade”, as well as the national priority programmes _______________ 15 16 S/AC.51/2011/3. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2237, No. 39574. 13/21