A/HRC/43/74 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 16 January 2020 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-third session 24 February–20 March 2020 Agenda items 2 and 10 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Technical assistance and capacity-building Situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and technical assistance achievements in the field of human rights Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Summary In the present report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights describes the situation of human rights in Afghanistan from 1 January to 30 November 2019, and provides an overview of the work, including technical assistance, conducted by the Human Rights Service of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report focuses on the five principal areas of work of the Human Rights Service: the protection of civilians in armed conflict; children and armed conflict; the elimination of violence against women and the promotion of women’s rights; the prevention of torture and respect for procedural safeguards; and civic space and the integration of human rights into peace and reconciliation processes. The High Commissioner highlights the technical assistance provided by the Human Rights Service and the achievements under these areas. The High Commissioner concludes the report with concrete recommendations for the Government, anti-government elements and the international community. GE.20-00490(E) 