UN urges parties to heed call from Afghans: Zero civilian casualties
KABUL - The conflict in Afghanistan continues to have a devastating impact on civilians, with the latest UN update released today documenting 3,812 civilian casualties (1,366 deaths and 2,446 injured) in the first half of 2019. While the number of civilians killed and injured is 27 per cent down…
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Peace is an urgent priority for Afghans, say 300 Helmand religious scholars
LASHKAR GAH - Peace remains the top priority for Afghans, said a group of religious scholars during a UN-backed jirga in Lashkar Gah, capital of the southern province of Helmand. In the event, which brought together a 300-strong delegation of religious scholars from many districts, including those…
United Nations Secretary-General condemns indiscriminate attack in Farah
NEW YORK - The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack this morning on a bus traveling along the Kandahar-Herat Highway in Afghanistan. The Secretary-General reiterates that international humanitarian law explicitly prohibits indiscriminate attacks and attacks directed against civilians and…
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SRSG Yamamoto at the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board meeting
KABUL - The following is a transcript of the opening remarks delivered by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, at the beginning of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board meeting. Opening Remarks of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for…
Security Council press statement on attacks in Afghanistan
NEW YORK - The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack on a bus full of civilians traveling along the Kandahar-Herat Highway in Western Afghanistan on 31 July 2019, which resulted in at least 34 people killed and more than a dozen…
UN reminds parties of their responsibility to protect civilians - Civilian casualty rates spike in July
KABUL - The United Nations in Afghanistan reminds all parties to the conflict of their responsibility to protect civilians and to comply with their obligations under international law, as the latest UN documentation shows that civilian casualty rates returned to record high levels in the month of…
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Nangarhar educators strategize on ways to improve women’s rights
JALALABAD - A group of educators in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar say investing in public education on women’s rights is crucial for helping to eliminate violence against women and girls. The event, which was organized by UNAMA’s Jalalabad regional office, brought together 35 female…
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Provincial leaders in Afghanistan’s northeast rally behind national peace efforts
KUNDUZ - Participants at a series of UN-backed events in Afghanistan’s northeast say they support national peace efforts but only if they are fully inclusive, representing all segments of Afghan society, female and male alike, to ensure a lasting outcome. At one of the recent events, some 90 leaders…
United Nations concerned over Taliban threat to civilians in election process
KABUL - The United Nations expresses deep concern at the Taliban’s stated threat to target civilians participating in the 28 September presidential election process. According to international humanitarian and human rights law, the electoral process in Afghanistan is a civilian undertaking and…
Statement by UN Special Representative Tadamichi Yamamoto on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha
KABUL - As we prepare to mark the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, I wish all Afghans a peaceful and joyous celebration. I hope that families around Afghanistan will be able to come together and celebrate Eid in an environment free of fear and violence. To allow all Afghans to commemorate this auspicious…
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Samangan community leaders gather to discuss the rights of children
AYBAK - Participants at a UN-backed event in Afghanistan’s north committed to advocate for the rights of children and to raise awareness to protect them against abuse during the armed conflict. More than one hundred participants, including government officials, religious scholars, women’s rights…
UN condemns attack deliberately targeting civilians at Kabul wedding
KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns last night’s Kabul attack that initial reports indicate killed scores of civilians and injured many more, among them women and children. On the evening of 17 August, a suicide attacker detonated explosives in the Shahr-e…