A/RES/57/234 18. Welcomes the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other United Nations agencies to achieve the voluntary return of 1.7 million refugees, calls upon the Office of the High Commissioner to continue implementing its plans for the voluntary and orderly repatriation of refugees in safety and dignity, in close cooperation with the Transitional Authority and with the support of other relevant United Nations agencies, and appeals to the international community to provide additional assistance for a durable solution to this problem; 19. Notes with appreciation the activities carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations throughout the territory of Afghanistan; 20. Appeals to Member States, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system, specialized agencies and other international organizations to ensure that all United Nations operations integrate a gender perspective, including in the selection of personnel for their management, and that women benefit equally with men from such programmes; 21. Urges the Transitional Authority and all Afghan groups to ensure the safety, security and free movement of all foreign and local United Nations and associated personnel, as well as of all foreign and local personnel of humanitarian organizations, and their safe and unimpeded access to all affected populations; 22. Also urges the Transitional Authority and all Afghan groups to guarantee the access of all Afghans to aid and to educational and health facilities without discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, birth, descent or other status; 23. Calls upon the Transitional Authority and all Afghan groups to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and all other special rapporteurs who request invitations to visit Afghanistan, and to facilitate their access to all sectors of society and to all parts of the country; 24. Requests the Secretary-General: (a) To provide all necessary assistance to the Special Rapporteur; (b) To ensure, in consultation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the integration of a human rights capacity in the context of United Nations activities in Afghanistan, and also to ensure that the protection and promotion of human rights is central to the purposes and functions of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and that the Mission is fully equipped to implement effectively its human rights responsibilities under the terms of the Bonn Agreement; 25. Invites the Special Rapporteur to provide updated reports, as appropriate, on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan to the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights; 26. Decides to keep the situation of human rights in Afghanistan under consideration at its fifty-eighth session, in the light of additional elements provided by the Commission on Human Rights and the Economic and Social Council. 77th plenary meeting 18 December 2002 6

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