News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

KUNDUZ - Promoting good governance was the focus of the first of a series of north-eastern provincial meetings designed to enhance the ability of civil society organizations to form more productive links with local government. More than 40 people participated in the Kunduz meeting, which was…

HERAT - To enhance government transparency and foster development in the province, Herat’s community leaders met with the Governor at a UNAMA-backed meeting last week. About 70 people, representing civil society, academic institutions and media outlets from around Herat, attended the event. Some…

KABUL - The United Nations regards the advances made in press freedom as one of the most significant achievements of the past decade, said Afghanistan’s top UN envoy this week, stressing that Afghan journalists must not be threatened, harassed or obstructed in their work. “A free, independent and…

KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani outlined Afghanistan’s anti-corruption efforts at a meeting in Kabul today, drawing high-level representatives from the Afghan authorities, the international community and the United Nations family. ‘The Way Ahead for Anti-Corruption in Afghanistan’ conference was…

BAMYAN - The development of action plans to strengthen the role of civil society in promoting good governance in Afghanistan was a key outcome of a UN-backed event in Bamyan last week. More than 80 people attended the event, including Governor Tahir Zohair, other provincial leaders, and members of…

KABUL - In line with the continued call of the United Nations for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, UNAMA regrets the execution of six alleged perpetrators of serious crimes and crimes against civilians. The United Nations notes that there is no conclusive evidence of the deterrent value…

NEW YORK - This September, the United Nations General Assembly will bring together world leaders to address one of the leading challenges of our time: responding to large movements of refugees and migrants. War, human rights violations, underdevelopment, climate change and natural disasters are…

JALALABAD - Empowering journalists and strengthening a free press were key topics at a UN-backed event in Jalalabad recently, bringing together media professionals from across the eastern region. Nearly 30 Afghan journalists, from independent and state-run media outlets operating at the local…

GENEVA - We regret the execution on Sunday, 8 May, of six people in Afghanistan, amid persisting serious concerns about compliance with fair trial standards, and reports about the widespread use of torture and ill-treatment as a means of extracting confessions. We fear that there could be more…

GENEVA - Two United Nations human rights experts today condemned the execution of six alleged members of illegal armed groups in Afghanistan for “serious crimes and crimes against civilians,” despite the absence of fair trial guarantees and the continued practice of torture to obtain confessions…

KANDAHAR - The UN Country Team, led by UN envoy Mark Bowden, met this week in Kandahar with provincial governors along with civil society and other partners to assess the security, development, the humanitarian situation. The visit, by senior representatives of UN humanitarian and development…

LASHKARGAH - A peaceful settlement of the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan will bring with it increased prosperity for the country said speakers at two UN-backed events held in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar recently. In Helmand province – which is restive with a landscape…