News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

PARIS - Ján Kubiš, Special Representative to the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, addressed the Third Ministerial Conference of the Paris Pact Partners. Mr. Kubiš highlighted the Afghan Opium Survey 2011, which showed poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached 131,000 hectares, 7 per cent higher…

JALALABAD - As part of its outreach efforts to religious institutions UNAMA’s office in Afghanistan’s Eastern Region donated sound systems, praying mats and fans to the Ministry of Haj and Awqaf in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces. The material will be distributed to a dozen or so local mosques. The…

KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) deplores the attack on its compound in Kunduz, northeast Afghanistan. It thanks the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and notably the police for its timely response and regrets their casualties. Although caused by legitimate…

NEW YORK - The United Nations health agency is calling on all Afghans to vaccinate their children after a recent measles outbreak that has been made worse by severe weather that hampers access to immediate treatment as well as low immunization coverage. According to an update from the World Health…

BAMYAN - A community-led project in Bamyan could improve indoor air quality for thousands of families; give rural women jobs; reduce rangeland and forest degradation; and help communities adapt to global climate change During cold winter months many Afghan families huddle indoors where they draw…

KABUL - Following an attack on its office in Kunduz, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is relocating its international staff to put in place additional arrangements and measures to make sure that the office can continue to operate in safety. Dari - Pashto This temporary…

NEW YORK - Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today called for systematic and comprehensive strategies to empower women in rural areas to maximize their potential to combat extreme poverty and hunger, and help them facilitate sustainable development in their communities. “If rural women had…

JALALABAD - Baswra squats on a dirty street corner in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, watching fellow Afghans walk by with packages of assistance from aid agencies. When the door to the distribution site opens, she throws herself at it, waving documents in the face of anyone who will hear her…

KABUL - A training manual developed by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) aimed at teaching police how to handle cases of violence against women has been incorporated into training at the Afghan Police Academy. The training on the manual was rolled out in November 2011 at the National Police…

JALALABAD - New customs facilities in Jalalabad that were funded by the World Bank and implemented by UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) are expected to allow imports to enter the country faster and increase government revenue. According to Mohamad Sarwar Stanekzai, senior monitoring…

KABUL - On International Women’s Day, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and UN Women urged the Government of Afghanistan to fully and promptly implement the law on Elimination of Violence against Women. “As long as women and girls in Afghanistan are subject to violence…

BAMYAN - Women working in Bamyan's media sector have come together to launch a professional association. The organization, which has 22 founding members, calls itself the Bamyan Women Journalists Association (BWJA). They are employees of local media including Radio Bamyan, RTA and Radio Paywand, and…