A UN official has called for an independent, international commission of inquiry should be set up to document crimes against humanity and other violations during Afghanistan's 23 years of conflict.
Pakistani lawyer Ms Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said the findings of such a commission would be a stepping stone towards a mechanism to bring perpetrators to justice.
Ms Jahangir also told a news conference at the end of a 10-day visit to Afghanistan that she was recommending a halt to the death penalty in the country until international standards for imposing capital punishment could be met.
At the same time, Ms Jahangir said the cycle of violence in Afghanistan could not be halted unless impunity ended.
"The process of accountability must be addressed without delay," she said. "I am particularly concerned about bringing to justice perpetrators of crimes against humanity.
"It is not the obligation of the people and government of Afghanistan alone, but the entire international community to ensure justice where such grave human rights violations have been committed."
Ms Jahangir said she would soon submit a report with recommendations to the UN Commission on Human Rights, which will convene in March .
She said she was encouraged by assurances from President Hamid Karzai that he would soon recommend to the cabinet that Afghanistan accede to the statute of the International Criminal Court.
Ms Jahangir visited the provincial towns of Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Paghman during her stay, which included a trip to a mass grave. She said her impression was that incidents of extrajudicial and summary executions had dramatically decreased.