UNITED NATIONS, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday extended the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for three months, until June 17.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2818 (2026), the Security Council also requested the UN secretary-general to appoint as soon as possible a new special representative and head of UNAMA.

UNAMA, a special political mission tasked with assisting the people of Afghanistan, was established by the council in March 2002. Reviewed annually, the mandate has been altered over time to reflect the needs of the country and was last extended in March 2025.

Given that some members of the Security Council wished to make appropriate adjustments to the UNAMA mandate, the council decided to extend it for a period of three months, to ensure sufficient time for thorough deliberation and for making a responsible decision, said China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong in his explanation of the vote. ■