News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

NEW YORK - The Secretary-General condemns the series of lethal attacks – including today’s suicide bombing at a campaign rally in Nangarhar Province, on candidates, their affiliates and their supporters – in Afghanistan in the run up to the October parliamentary elections. He extends his deepest…

KUNDUZ - Government officials, civil society members, teachers, activists and other community leaders from Afghanistan’s northeast gathered at UN-backed events in Kunduz and Takhar to discuss recent efforts to improve protections for women’s rights. Some 50 community leaders attended symposia in…

HERAT - Multicoloured pencils, hanging from branches like leaves, formed the creative set-piece during an Afghanistan-wide poetry competition that drew hundreds of poetry aficionados from across the country to the western province of Herat for a celebration of Afghan literature. The ‘pencil tree’ –…

KABUL - Anti-government elements must immediately end the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of all improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in areas frequented by civilians, said UNAMA in a special human rights report released today. The special report – titled “Increasing Harm to Afghan Civilians…

GHAZNI - The active participation of young Afghans in peace-building is necessary for creating a more stable, inclusive and peaceful region, said participants at a UN-backed symposium in the south-eastern province of Ghazni. In the event, young Afghans from across Ghazni, along with journalists…

KABUL - With less than two weeks to the polls to elect a new Parliament, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) highlights that taking part in elections is a citizen’s right enshrined in the Afghan Constitution and a basic human right for all people. “Afghan men and women have a basic…

KANDAHAR - After nation-wide consultations on peace among ordinary Afghans from across the country, all documented in a new book, community leaders in Kandahar met at a UN-backed event to discuss possible next steps toward building a more stable and prosperous country. The recently published book…

KABUL - The figures released today by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) show continuing high casualty rates being inflicted on the Afghan civilian population, especially by anti-government elements. Covering the period 1 January to 30 September 2018, the new UN report…

KABUL - With Afghanistan's Parliamentary elections little more than a week away, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) notes that, despite significant security challenges, progress has been made by the country's security forces in creating conditions for the majority of citizens to…

KITI - Government officials, religious scholars, elders, activists and other community leaders from Daikundi and Ghor gathered at a UN-backed symposium in Daikundi’s remote western district of Kiti to take stock of local initiatives to promote social cohesion and advance peace. More than 20…

NEW YORK - The Secretary-General condemns today’s lethal attacks against an election campaign rally in Takhar Province and a candidate’s office in Herat Province in Afghanistan. He extends his deepest sympathies to the families of those killed and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. The…

KABUL - The full participation of women in Afghanistan’s electoral process is vital to ensure that upcoming parliamentary elections are inclusive and credible, said the UN’s top envoy in a meeting with Afghan women from civil society, academia and advocacy groups. “Elections are only truly…