News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

NEW YORK - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today joined other senior United Nations officials on the eve of International Women’s Day in highlighting the potential of rural women to improve the well-being of entire societies if given equal access to resources and set free from the discrimination and…

NEW YORK - Gender equality and the empowerment of women are gaining ground worldwide. There are more women Heads of State or Government than ever, and the highest proportion of women serving as Government ministers. Women are exercising ever greater influence in business. More girls are going to…

KABUL - The Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Michael Keating, today expressed sympathy to the families of 50 Afghans who died and four who were injured as a result of an avalanche that occurred on 4 March 2012 in a village of 199 people in Dispay, Shaki district, Badakhshan province, on the…

NEW YORK - The United Nations is stepping up its efforts to provide health, food aid and temporary shelter to those affected by the avalanche that hit the Dispay village in the Badakshan province of northern Afghanistan last week, resulting in the death of 50 people and wounding four others. "Every…

KABUL - More than 500 women and men in Kandahar gathered today to mark International Women’s Day, which included a play by an all-woman cast to show the negative side of underage and forced marriages. “We want more education and job opportunities and an end to violence against women in Kandahar”…

NEW YORK - I was very, very sad to hear about this shocking incident. So many people, including children, were killed by the act of a single individual. We expect that an investigation will rapidly establish the facts and that those responsible will be held accountable and that the public will be…

BAMYAN - Residents of Bamyan in Afghanistan’s central highlands converged today at the foot of the cavern where a Giant Buddha once stood to commemorate the 11th anniversary of its destruction. Bamyan’s two cliff-carved Giant Buddhas -- said to be one male and the other female -- were toppled by the…

KANDAHAR - Wide spectrum of the Afghan society in the country’s south have called for calm in the aftermath of tragic killing earlier this week of civilians in Kandahar province. According to the Kandahar Governor’s Office, an investigation team led by the Chief of Army Staff General Sher Agha…

NEWYORK- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his deep sadness at the news of the helicopter crash on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, which claimed the lives of over a dozen Turkish soldiers and Afghan civilians. UN News Centre According to media reports, the NATO helicopter…

KABUL - The Ulema Council of Afghanistan issued a statement on 2 March 2012, which condemned desecration of Quraan by American military at Bagram Base and discussed issues of transfer of prisons to Afghan security forces by the international military, night raids and peace and reconciliation process…

VIENNA - Two United Nations agencies have joined forces today in an effort to wean poor rural communities off of their dependency on drug crop cultivation through initiatives spurring economic growth and sustainable development. An agreement signed in Vienna between Yury Fedotov, Executive Director…

NEW YORK - The transition process in Afghanistan remains on track despite recent tragic incidents, the United Nations envoy to the country said today, adding that efforts continue to strengthen the capacity of national institutions to maintain rule of law and provide services to the population.…