Afghanistan

Migrants at the IOM Islam Qala Reception Centre. The Centre provided services to thousands of Afghan returnees daily, prior to the catastrophic fire on 13 February.
IOM/Nick Bishop

Fire at Afghan-Iranian border hits vital humanitarian assistance: UN migration agency

15 February 2021
Migrants and Refugees

A catastrophic fire on Saturday, at a border between Afghanistan and Iran has damaged an UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) reception centre, stalling services for Afghan migrants returning to their country. 

Journalists at an event in Kabul, to mark the Afghan National Journalists Day (March 2019), in support of media freedom and solidarity with journalists. Reporters have frequently been targeted during the Afghan conflict.
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

News in Brief 15 February 2021

15 February 2021
News in Brief
  • Afghanistan: 65 media workers, rights defenders killed since 2018
  • Three die in Ebola outbreak in southern Guinea   
  • WTO appoints first female and first African leader
Audio -
2'18"
The Pul-e-Kheshti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan. (file photo)
UNAMA/Freshta Dunia

Afghanistan: 65 media workers, rights defenders killed since 2018

15 February 2021
Human Rights

Sixty-five journalists, media professionals and human rights defenders were killed in Afghanistan between 1 January 2018 and 31 January 2021, with 11 losing their lives since the start of peace negotiations last September, the UN Mission in the country said on Monday. 

Afghan mother and UNICEF employee, Arifa Omid, is hoping for a peaceful and prosperous future for her daughter.
© UNICEF/Omid

Hopes and fears of mother-to-be in Afghanistan

6 February 2021
Women

A mother in Afghanistan has been talking about the hopes and fears for her unborn daughter in a country where the birth of a girl can often be a curse rather than a blessing. Women and girls, in particular, often suffer abuse at the hands of men in a male-driven society where boys are sometimes valued above girls. 

Kabul, the centre of Afghanistan's political and social life (file photo).
Photo: UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

Afghanistan: Detainee torture allegations remain ‘alarming’, UN report reveals

3 February 2021
Human Rights

Torture claims among people detained for security or terrorism-related offences in Afghanistan remain high, according to a new UN human rights report published on Wednesday. 

A woman walks in front of tents at an internally displaced persons (IDP) site in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan.
OCHA Afghanistan/Fariba Housaini

Humanitarians seek $1.3 billion to help millions in war-weary Afghanistan

12 January 2021
Humanitarian Aid

The UN and humanitarian partners in Afghanistan are seeking $1.3 billion to assist almost 16 million people in need of life-saving assistance as a result of decades of conflict, recurrent natural disasters, and the added impact of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.