Afghan

Effective security strategy most urgent priority for Afghanistan – Ban Ki-moon

26 September 2007
As Afghanistan continues to grapple with an ongoing insurgency, weak governance and a growing narcotics industry, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has cited an effective plan to ensure security as the war-torn nation’s most pressing need.
Ban Ki-moon (right) and Afghan President Karzai

High-level gathering urges sustained international support for Afghanistan

23 September 2007
Participants at a high-level meeting convened today at the United Nations by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for sustained international efforts to support the war-torn nation as it proceeds on the difficult path toward peace and development.

Afghan Government and people want talks with Taliban, UN envoy says

21 September 2007
Afghanistan’s Government and its people are open to negotiations with the Taliban in the interests of ending the fighting there, a top United Nations envoy said today – the International Day of Peace, when thousands of Afghans marched in commemoration even as deadly violence exploded in parts of the country.
Afghan children with kites

Afghan children fly kites for peace as part of UN-backed campaign

20 September 2007
On the eve of the International Day of Peace, some 100 Afghan street children flew kites adorned with doves and olive branches atop a hill overlooking Kabul today, marking the closing stages of a United Nations-backed campaign to halt violence in the war-torn nation.

Security Council renews international security force in Afghanistan for 12 months

20 September 2007
Voicing its concern about increased violence and terrorism in Afghanistan, the Security Council has approved the extension of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the country for another year, with the Russian Federation abstaining on the vote.

Afghanistan: UN-backed immunization drive starts amid calls for end to violence

19 September 2007
United Nations agencies have teamed up with Government health workers to carry out a polio immunization drive in insurgency-affected areas in southern and eastern Afghanistan, just days before the end of a nine-week campaign aimed at achieving an end to violence in the strife-torn nation on and around 21 September, Peace Day.

UN purchases local produce to feed hungry Afghans and boost farming

18 September 2007
In a twin move to feed hungry Afghans and stimulate local production, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced the $1.1 million purchase of 4,000 metric tons of locally grown wheat in the western Herat region as a way of overcoming continuing security problems hampering deliveries from further afield.

New thinking needed to rebuild Afghan agriculture, UN-sponsored book says

17 September 2007
Efforts to rebuild the rural economy of Afghanistan must start with a better understanding of the country’s complex history, social background and extraordinary resilience of the Afghan people in repeatedly rebuilding their livelihoods, according to a new United Nations-sponsored book.

Difficult security conditions impede much-needed aid delivery to Afghans – UN

14 September 2007
Challenging security conditions are impeding relief workers’ efforts to assess and meet humanitarian needs in remote areas in Afghanistan’s south, south-east and east, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Afghan children releasing doves into the air

Top UN envoy in Afghanistan calls for total cessation of violence to mark Peace Day

11 September 2007
The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan today appealed for a total cessation of violence across the country on 21 September, marked around the world as International Day of Peace, and for days of tranquillity ahead of that date to allow for vital humanitarian initiatives to be carried out.