News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

KABUL - More than 200 civil society activists, government officials, journalists, students and UN officials gathered to launch UNDP’s Human Development Report in Kabul and discuss how work, and especially the contributions of women, are linked to human development. Those speaking at the event…

KABUL - The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan during 2015 are the highest recorded, the UN said today on the release of its 2015 Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. The annual report, produced by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in…

KABUL - The following is a near-verbatim transcript, edited for clarity, of a press conference on 14 February 2016 about the release of UNAMA's 2015 Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. Participants: UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Nicholas…

JALALABAD - Protecting children from recruitment as police is the aim of a new Jalalabad child protection unit, which is part of a wider Government initiative. Located at the Police Recruitment Centre of Nangarhar’s Police Department, the new unit will work to prevent the recruitment of children…

BAMYAN - Hundreds of Bamyan residents in the central Afghan province gathered last week to celebrate being included among UNESCO’s global creative cities network. The network, formed in 2004, now includes 116 cities worldwide. It was set up to foster international cooperation between those cities…

KABUL - Recognizing the progress made by the Afghan Government to prevent the recruitment and use of children in the National Security Forces, a top UN official renewed the world body’s pledge to support Afghanistan to further protect children in the country. “We cannot build sustainable peace if we…

KUNDUZ - Community leaders and government officials gathered to discuss best approaches to address the key challenges facing Kunduz residents following last year’s conflict in and around the city. The meeting is part of a UN-Habitat peacebuilding programme, launched in Kunduz in late 2015, to focus…

KABUL - The heads of the United Nations agencies working in Afghanistan met in Kabul this week, discussing their programmes for 2016. Focusing on closer alignment with the vision and plans of the National Unity Government, the United Nations team agreed to develop a summary document defining their…

NEW YORK - During a mission by Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Afghan Government reiterated its commitment to fully implement its Action Plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in the national security…

KABUL - The integral role of Afghan women in the country’s social, political and economic spheres was emphasized by a top UN envoy during a meeting with future leaders in Kabul today. “We have a commitment to women’s leadership and we are supporting them to play leadership roles,” said Nicholas…

KANDAHAR – Enhancing the delivery of justice through strengthened coordination among judicial institutions and law enforcement agencies was the focus of the latest UNAMA-backed forum, which brought together officials in southern Uruzgan province. Organized by UNAMA’s southern field office, the forum…

KABUL - The United Nations reminds all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan of their obligation to always respect the provision of healthcare, never to harm medical personnel and patients and to ensure that the protected status of medical facilities is respected. In two incidents in the last week…