A/HRC/40/45 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 28 January 2019 Original: English Human Rights Council Fortieth session 25 February–22 March 2019 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 The 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 2018, and provides an overview of the work and technical assistance conducted by the Human Rights Service of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan 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, namely the protection of civilians in armed conflict; children and armed conflict; women’s rights and the elimination of violence against women and increasing women’s participation in peacebuilding and security; the prevention of torture and arbitrary detention; the civil society space and the integration of human rights into peace and reconciliation processes. The report also highlights the key areas of technical cooperation engagement and achievements. The High Commissioner concludes with concrete recommendations addressed to the Government of Afghanistan, anti-government elements and the international community. * Agreement was reached to publish the present report after the standard publication date owing to circumstances beyond the submitter’s control. GE.19-01312(E) 