A/RES/66/13 Supporting increased regional efforts towards the continued implementation of previous declarations of good-neighbourly relations, welcoming the Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia, held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 2 November 2011, at which Afghanistan and its regional partners, with the support of the international community, affirmed their commitment to promoting regional security and cooperation through confidence-building measures, and looking forward to the first follow-up to the Istanbul Conference for Afghanistan, scheduled to convene at the ministerial level in Kabul in June 2012, Noting regional initiatives, such as those being implemented within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the Economic Cooperation Organization and other relevant initiatives aimed at increased regional economic cooperation with Afghanistan, such as the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan and the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation Programme, and noting also the ministerial meeting to enhance trade connectivity along historical trade routes, held in New York on 22 September 2011, Underlining the significance of the agreement reached between the Government of Afghanistan and countries contributing to the International Security Assistance Force, at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, held in Lisbon on 19 and 20 November 2010, to gradually transfer lead security responsibility in Afghanistan to the Government of Afghanistan country-wide by the end of 2014, welcoming the ongoing implementation of the transition, looking forward to its phased extension to the rest of the country, underlining the continuing role of the Assistance Force in support of the Government of Afghanistan and in promoting a responsible transition and the importance of the enhancement of the operational capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces, stressing the long-term commitment, beyond 2014, of the international community to support the further development, including training, and professionalization of the Afghan National Security Forces and their capacity to counter continued threats to Afghanistan’s security, with a view to establishing lasting peace, security and stability, and noting that these issues will be discussed at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Chicago, United States of America, in 2012, Reiterating the urgent need to tackle the challenges in Afghanistan, in particular the ongoing violent criminal and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent and extremist groups and criminals, including those involved in the narcotics trade, and the development of Government of Afghanistan institutions, including at the subnational level, the strengthening of the rule of law and democratic processes, the fight against corruption, the acceleration of justice sector reform, the promotion of national reconciliation, without prejudice to the fulfilment of the measures introduced by the Security Council in its resolutions 1267 (1999) of 15 October 1999 and 1988 (2011) and 1989 (2011) of 17 June 2011 and other relevant resolutions, an Afghan-led transitional justice process, the safe and voluntary return of Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons in an orderly and dignified manner, the promotion and protection of human rights and the advancement of economic and social development, Deeply concerned about the continued high level of violence in Afghanistan, condemning in the strongest terms all violent attacks, and recognizing in that regard the continuously alarming threats posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent and extremist groups, as well as the challenges related to the efforts to address such threats, 2