News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

NEW YORK - Below is the statement of HE Dr Zahir Tanin, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council debate on the situation in Afghanistan. Mr. President, Allow me to begin by congratulating you on your assumption of this month’s…

NEW YORK - As Afghanistan’s transition picks up pace, regional engagement becomes even more important, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as the country’s partners met in neighbouring Tajikistan. Afghan authorities are working with the international community so that by 2014 they can assume…

KABUL - One hillside in Pashtun Kot District in the northern Afghan province of Faryab stands out. Dotted with graves, it is the final resting place for the victims of underdevelopment: Villagers travel from far-off mountains by donkey to bury their dead here - people whose demise was hastened by…

SHEBERGHAN - Jan Kubis, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, spoke at the inauguration of a UNAMA office in Sheberghan. Mr. Kubis said that the UN had been working in support of the people of Jawzjan province, in close partnership with the authorities of the province, for…

KABUL - Today the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) and the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) celebrated the World Water Day in the conference hall of the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW). International World Water Day is held annually as a means of focusing attention on the importance of…

KABUL - WHO and the Afghanistan Stop TB Partnership suggested an urgent need for studies to explore why Afghanistan is the world’s only country with higher rates of tuberculosis (TB) among women than among men. About 66% of new cases are women. That was one of the key messages at the “Stop TB In My…

NEW YORK - United Nations officials today stressed the importance of providing adequate health services to older citizens and called on countries to commit resources to help their ageing populations lead a healthy and active life. “I urge governments, civil society and the private sector to commit…

JALALABAD - UNAMA's new Deputy Special Representative of Secretary General (DSRSG) for Political Affairs, Mr. Nicholas Haysom, traveled to Jalalabad yesterday for his first travel outside Kabul since his arrival. He met with the Governor of Nangarhar, Mr. Gul Agha Shirzai, and senior provincial…

JALALABAD - Representatives of civil society, religious scholars and minority groups from the eastern provinces of Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar and Nuristan met in Jalalabad on Thursday to discuss the ongoing peace efforts as part of the United Nations’ efforts to include opinions from local…

KABUL - Afghanistan has made significant progress on making conditions better for women survive pregnancy and childbirth. Yet health workers say there remains room for more progress. “In 2006, the maternal mortality rate was 1,600 deaths per 100,000 live births, which dropped to 327 deaths per 100…

KABUL - Mr. Alvaro Rodriguez, the new Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan, arrived in Kabul in early April. “I’m very glad to be in Afghanistan and am looking forward to working with the Government, Civil Society, UNAMA and the broader UN family, and in…

DAI KUNDI - Over four thousand people from around Dai Kundi came out today to celebrate the city’s Almond Festival, an annual event organized by the provincial government. Almond cultivation is a significant driver of the Dai Kundi economy and the almond festival is an opportunity for farmers…