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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today that it had moved to a refugee camp in southern Pakistan about 1,000 Afghans who were part of a larger group that had unexpectedly arrived earlier this week in the no-man's land border area after fleeing bombardments in Afghanistan.

In a new step towards enhancing the efficiency of United Nations activities throughout its family of organizations and specialized agencies, the UN System Staff College opened its doors at the start of this year in Turin, Italy.

Resuming work on the territory's first-ever constitution, the East Timor Constituent Assembly today passed five articles dealing with the status, election and appointment of the President of the Republic, the United Nations Transitional Authority (UNTAET) reported.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to go forward with the establishment of a special court to try persons accused of war crimes in Sierra Leone despite a shortfall in funding for the tribunal's operations.

Reacting to the announced release of over 100 Moroccan prisoners of war (POWs), the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) today urged the sides to continue freeing long-held detainees.

A United Nations-affiliated agency today launched a new strategic plan for AIDS prevention and control in the Caribbean - a region where the spread of HIV has reached critical levels.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, today announced the publication of the declaration and action plan of the World Conference against Racism, which was held last year in Durban, South Africa and concluded without final agreement on a text.

Recognizing that the public health situation in Afghanistan was in a desperate state, the United Nations chief envoy for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, today said he hoped the international community would pay attention to this issue.

With the start of the New Year, five countries have joined the United Nations Security Council as new non-permanent members of the 15-nation body.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today officially opened the new United Nations House in Barbados, where UN agencies will consolidate their efforts to support not only that country but nine other States in the region.