News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

KABUL - Ballot papers have been printed and delivered, polling stations kits have been packed and distribution began today as preparations got under way for the second round of voting in Afghanistan’s presidential election, the United Nations mission there reported. President Hamid Karzai will face…

NEW YORK - "The United Nations is doing its utmost to respond - to address the big issues, to look at the big picture. We are forging a new multilateralism that can deliver real results for all people, especially those most in need." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon UN Day 2009 website - UN Charter…

KABUL - UN representatives and Afghan officials will join hands at simultaneous events across Afghanistan today to celebrate United Nations Day 2009. At a ceremony in Kabul the role and achievement of the United Nations in the country will be marked with the launch of the UN Development Assistance…

24 October 2009 - The latest weekly programme produced in Dari and Pashto by UNAMA Radio is now online to listen to. The show - "Afghanistan Today" - is broadcast every Saturday morning on Radio Afghanistan. All UNAMA Radio programmes are also available on iTunes.

24 October 2009 - The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has begun flying out election kits to different provinces across Afghanistan in preparation for the 7 November presidential poll. The 6,000 kits contain ballot papers, indelible ink, and voter card punches and will be packed and sent to…

KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) joined hands today with Afghan ministers, governors and others to celebrate UN Day across the country. In Kabul, a ceremony was held to launch the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Afghanistan. Developed…

KABUL - US$ 4 billion in assistance for Afghan-led projects nationwide has been earmarked over a period of four years from 2010 to 2013. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) – a product of nine months of collaborative planning by 28 UN agencies in Afghanistan with constructive…

25 October 2009 - She has her two legs firmly on two different boats – journalism – and the other is the hope of her parents – to be a medical doctor. Ultimately, 19-year-old Faza Noorzai thinks, her choice will prevail in her long-term career. “My parents are very happy that I will become a doctor…

KABUL - The World Food Programme is moving tens of thousands of metric tons of food to remote areas of Afghanistan in preparation for the rapidly approaching winter. Pre-positioning food before heavy snowfall begins will allow WFP to continue providing desperately needed assistance to vulnerable…

KABUL - UN agency highlights and reaction to questions on the forthcoming presidential election second round from UNAMA spokesperson Aleem Siddique. OVER 50,000 RETURNEES GET SHELTER ASSISTANCE IN 2009 As 2009 draws to a close, the UN refugee agency is nearing completion of a shelter programme…

KABUL - The United Nations in Afghanistan today called for a “better” election in the 7 November run-off vote between the incumbent president and his runner-up in the 20 August presidential election. “We do want to see a better run-off than we saw in the first round. We want to see less fraud in the…

27 October 2009 - With a second election just around the corner, the Media Commission is back in business. John Matisonn, one of the four commissioners, however, insists the media watchdog never closed its eyes. "We never stopped watching the media. We have been monitoring the news throughout, even…