Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan)

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The Bonn Agreement (officially the Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan Pending the Re-Establishment of Permanent Government Institutions) was the initial series of agreements intended to re-create the State of Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Since no nationally-agreed-upon government had existed in Afghanistan since 1979, it was felt necessary to have a transition period before a permanent government was established. A nationally-agreed-upon government would require at least one loya jirga to be convened; however, in the absence of law and order in the wake of the rapid victory of American and Afghan Northern Alliance forces, immediate steps were felt to be required.

Overview

In December 2001, a number of prominent Afghans met under UN auspices in Bonn, Germany, to decide on a plan for governing the country; as a result, the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) - made up of 30 members, headed by a chairman - was inaugurated on 22 December 2001 with a six-month mandate to be followed by a two-year Transitional Authority (TA), after which elections are to be held.

One of the sections of the Bonn Agreement envisaged the establishment of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Resolution 1386 of the United Nations Security Council subsequently established ISAF.

Constitution of Afghanistan

Under the Bonn Agreement the Afghan Constitution Commission was established to draft a new constitution in consultation with the public. The Bonn Agreement called for a loya jirga to be convened within 18 months of the establishment of the Transitional Authority and for the use of the 1964 constitution as the basis for a new constitution. The constitution had been adopted by the loya Jirga on January 4, 2004.

Legal system

The Bonn Agreement calls for a judicial commission to rebuild the justice system in accordance with Islamic principles, international standards, the rule of law, and Afghan legal traditions.

Judicial branch

The Bonn Agreement called for the establishment of a Supreme Court of Afghanistan.

See also

• Bonn Conference
• International Conference on Afghanistan, London (2010)
• List of international conferences on Afghanistan

External links

• Text of the Bonn Agreement 2001, UN Peacemaker
• Text of the Bonn Conference Final Declaration 2011, UN Peacemaker
• Text of all Peace Agreements for Afghanistan, UN Peacemaker