Afghanistan

Primary School in Afghanistan.(File)
UNAMA/Ebrahim Papal

Wednesday’s Daily Brief: Afghan child abuse, DR Congo measles deaths, Palestinian solidarity

27 November 2019
Peace and Security

A recap of Wednesday’s stories in brief: UN Afghan Mission calls for probe into school paedophile ring; thousands of children dying from measles in DRC; UN reaffirms solidarity with Palestinians; migrants send billions back home; trust and security “essential” in digital space; and FAO recommends switch to traditional diets.

A woman casts her vote in Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections at a Kabul polling centre in 2018.
Fardin Waezi/UNAMA

Election-related violence claims 85 lives in Afghanistan: UN report

15 October 2019
Peace and Security

Eighty-five people were killed and another 373 injured during attacks related to the recent presidential election in Afghanistan, a report by the UN Assistance Mission in the country, UNAMA, reveals.

A typical day at the popular Mandawi market in Kabul, Afghanistan.
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

Afghanistan probe: ‘at least 60 civilians’ killed after US military airstrikes on alleged drug labs

9 October 2019
Peace and Security

“Multiple” airstrikes by the US military on alleged methamphetamine drug labs in a remote area of western Afghanistan earlier this year, killed or injured dozens of civilians who should not have been treated as military targets, the UN said on Wednesday.

A woman casts her vote in Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections at a Kabul polling centre in 2018.
Fardin Waezi/UNAMA

‘No place for violence, intimidation or fraud’ in Afghan elections: UN chief

27 September 2019
Peace and Security

All key actors in Afghanistan must “uphold their responsibility to support a peaceful, credible, transparent and inclusive electoral process”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement on Friday, the day before presidential elections are due to be held in the country, adding that “there is no place for violence, intimidation or fraud”.

The little boy photographed stands on the remains of his family home in the West Bank, which was demolished in 2017. (File, 2018)
UNRWA/Lara Jonasdottir

Monday’s Daily Brief: Palestine demolitions, nuclear watchdog chief dies, UK troops to Mali, Afghan journalist murder condemned, Somalia sexual violence pledge

22 July 2019
Human Rights

Our main stories today: UN condemns Israel’s destruction of Palestinian property; the head of the IAEA dies at 72; UK troops will bolster Mali mission; UNESCO chief condemns Afghan journalist’s murder; Somalia commits to ending conflict-related sexual violence.  

Portugal. Resettled refugees arrive in Lisbon
© UNHCR/José Ventura

Monday’s Daily Brief: US-DPRK relationship reset, ‘Horrific’ Kabul bombing, Anti-conscription plan in Syria, Climate change heat stress, Security Council in Iraq

1 July 2019
Peace and Security

This Monday, we cover: Guterres welcomes possible US-DPRK diplomatic upgrade; Taliban attack hits schools; UN-Syria action plan on child soldiers; Climate change heat stress impacts economy; and first-ever Security Council visit to Iraq. 

Afghanistan’s education system has been devastated by more than three decades of sustained conflict. For many of the country’s children, completing primary school remains a distant dream. Here, 10-year-old Fatima is on the board to solve a math question, at the ALC in Baghe Mellat, Herat.
© UNICEF/UN0212108/Mohammadi

In Afghanistan, attacks against schools have tripled in one year

28 May 2019
Culture and Education

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday that much greater protection for educational facilities was needed across Afghanistan where attacks against schools have increased three-fold in just one year. The call coincides with the third International Conference on Safe Schools, taking place this week in Mallorca, Spain.

UNICEF has been working with Nargas to ensure that her 15 month-old daughter Arzo doesn't become one of the many malnourished children in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.
UNICEF/Thomas Nybo

Around 600,000 Afghan children face death through malnutrition without emergency funds: UNICEF

24 May 2019
Humanitarian Aid

In Afghanistan, children suffering from the most serious form of malnutrition may die, unless $7 million in funding is found within weeks, UNICEF said on Friday.

A mother in the remote village of Kombaka in Mali is handed a vaccination card after her child received an immunization administered by a health worker. (March 2019)
UNICEF/Seyba Keïta

Wednesday’s Daily Brief: Diplomacy for Peace Day, #VaccinesWork, the cost of war on Afghans, tech and well-being

24 April 2019
UN Affairs

Top news for Wednesday includes: the first-ever International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, the launch of World Immunization Week, civilians continuing to bear the brunt of ongoing violence in Afghanistan, the need for more regulation in the tech industry, a call for more exercise and less screen time for children, and a plea by the UN refugees High Commissioner not to let extremism divide us. 

An elderly woman being held at a female detention centre in northern Afghanistan (2010).
UNAMA/Eric Kanalstein

Progress against torture in Afghan detention centres, but Government needs to do more, says UN report

17 April 2019
Human Rights

Torture is likely still widespread in Afghanistan’s State-run prisons for detainees linked to ongoing conflict there, the UN said on Wednesday, while also noting an “encouraging reduction” in the level of abuse since 2016.