Afghan

Ruud Lubbers

Top UN refugee official in Afghanistan to discuss returns to north

28 February 2003
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, arrived today in northern Afghanistan, where he met with government officials to discuss ways to help displaced Afghans return to their communities.

Afghanistan: UN aid operations in north suspended due to insecurity

27 February 2003
United Nations aid operations in northern Afghanistan have been suspended because of factional skirmishes in the area, a spokesman for the UN mission in that country said today.
Ruud Lubbers

Attention on Iraq could overshadow Afghan refugee needs, UN official warns

25 February 2003
The world's preoccupation with Iraq could take much-needed attention away from Afghanistan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, warned today, urging the international community to continue helping Afghans to return to their shattered country.
Jean-Marie Guéhenno briefs Security Council

Immediate security improvements needed in Afghanistan, Security Council told

24 February 2003
Citing "recent and worrying trends," the top United Nations peacekeeping official today called for immediate measures to improve security in Afghanistan, where international assistance agencies have come under threat of kidnapping and other hostile action.
Lakhdar Brahimi

Senior UN envoy to attend special Tokyo conference on Afghan disarmament

20 February 2003
The senior United Nations envoy for Afghanistan left Kabul today for Japan to attend a special international conference on disarmament in the Central Asian country, one of the world's most heavily armed.

Japan gives UN $35 million to help disarm ex-combatants in Afghanistan

19 February 2003
Japan signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kabul today for a $35 million contribution towards disarming and reintegrating former combatants in Afghanistan, one of the world's most heavily armed countries.
UNDP's Ercan Murat (L) & David Lockwood

Afghanistan: UN hopeful donors continue support for recovery efforts

13 February 2003
The overwhelming donor response to the crisis in Afghanistan -with some $2 billion delivered in 2002 - has officials from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hopeful that, whatever happens on the international scene in the coming months, the long-suffering Afghan people will be able to continue their march towards recovery.
Lakhdar Brahimi

Afghan people appreciative of international security force, UN envoy says

10 February 2003
The chief United Nations envoy for Afghanistan, attending the ceremony in which command of the international security force was handed over from Turkey to Germany and the Netherlands, said today that the Afghan people appreciated the contributions of the international community to securing their country.

UNICEF delivers new school materials to Afghanistan

6 February 2003
A renewed drive for girls education in Afghanistan took off today with the first airlifts of school materials supplied by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as part of its Back to School campaign.

UN signs two agreements to assist agricultural activities in Afghanistan

6 February 2003
Two agreements signed today between the United Nations and Afghan Government aim to support animal husbandry activities and control locust infestations in the country.