Afghanistan: UN launches project to help reporting on human rights

The United Nations has joined with the Afghan Government in launching a project to report on the country's implementation of human rights treaties, including those enshrining civil, political and children's rights and outlawing racial discrimination, discrimination against women and torture.

The Project on Capacity Building for Sustained Human Rights Treaty Reporting in Afghanistan was officially launched yesterday by Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special representative Jean Arnault and Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry in Kabul, the capital.

Mr. Arnault, speaking on behalf of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, expressed satisfaction at the Government's decision to take a consolidated approach to human rights reporting, saying the decision reflected the Government's commitment to the people of Afghanistan in protecting their human rights.

Mr. Abdullah said Afghanistan had an obligation to implement the international human rights treaties it had become a party to and had to report to the UN treaty bodies on the state of implementation.

The project was signed earlier in June between the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Canada International Development Agency, the main funding organization. In turn, the agreement on implementation of the 15-month project, with a budget of $297,619, was signed by the Government and UNDP on 4 August.