News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

GHAZNI - Demanding saffron cultivation training, farmers say they will grow the lucrative crop next year if a pilot project yields positive results in Ghazni province.A farmer in Khwaja Umari district, Gulabuddin, who used his 1.5 acres of land farming saffron on a trial basis last year, said the…

KABUL - Despite some progress in restraining cultivation, trafficking and use of illicit drugs in Afghanistan, it still remains a “critical challenge” for the country, which is the largest producer and cultivator of opium in the world, according to a new report prepared with support of the United…

BAMYAN - A number of development projects implemented in the remote hinterlands of Afghanistan’s central Bamyan province – with support from the United Nations refugee agency and handed over to the local community recently – have directly benefitted some 2,400 people, most of them returnees from…

KABUL - The Government of Afghanistan has issued an appeal to the international community for funds for the country’s mine action programme which has experienced a 25 per cent drop in its funding this year compared to last year, according to the United Nations-supported Mine Action Coordination…

KABUL - Over 20 tons of illicit narcotics, precursor materials and alcohol – seized by Afghan authorities in raids in Kabul and its outskirts over the past ten months – were destroyed in a bonfire today, in the presence of senior government officials, representatives of the international community…

JALALABAD - The Independent Radio Safa organized a discussion programme on the upcoming Presidential and Provincial Council elections, slated for 5 April next year, in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Monday.The programme, supported by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)…

KABUL - Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan rose to record levels this year with a 36 per cent increase compared to last year, according to a new survey launched today by the United Nations drug and crime agency and the Afghan Government.Describing the findings as “sobering,” the Executive…

KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomes the completion of the third phase of the country’s voter registration top-up exercise, with an additional three million Afghans now registered to take part in next year’s Presidential and Provincial Council elections.The…

KABUL - Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan rose 36 per cent in 2013, a record high, according to the 2013 Afghan opium survey released today in Kabul by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).Calling the news “sobering”, Yury Fedotov, Executive…

HELMAND - During a joint mission to Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province earlier this week, officials from six United Nations agencies met with local authorities on how they could strengthen their partnership in responding to the needs of local communities.“We are here to reiterate our continuous…

KUNDUZ - The newly-appointed governor to Kunduz today vowed to bring visible and positive changes to the security situation and accelerate the reconstruction process within two months.Ghulam Sakhi Baghlani, who replaced Mohammad Anwar Jagdalak, held out the promise while addressing a ceremony…

KANDAHAR - The number of drug addicts has surged to 100,000 who spend around $100,000 daily on buying various kinds of drugs in southern Kandahar province, the Governor said today.Toryalai Weesa gave the grim statistics at a gathering attended by farmers, religious leaders and officials from…