Afghan

Packed up and Ready to Roll: An Afghan familiy heads off from a voluntary repatriation centre in Pakistan earlier this year

More than 100,000 Afghans returned home this year, reports UN agency

27 August 2010
The number of Afghan refugees voluntarily returning home from Pakistan and Iran has topped 100,000 so far this year, the United Nations reported today, noting that this is almost twice as many as in 2009.
A de-miner at work clearing a minefield in Parwan province, Afghanistan

UN backs mine removal efforts in historic Afghan city

26 August 2010
The United Nations entity tasked with coordinating landmine removal efforts said today it is supporting the efforts of a local organization that is removing mines from the Afghan city of Ghazni, ahead of a planned designation of the city as an Islamic centre of civilization.

UN anti-crime agency helps Afghanistan combat corruption

20 August 2010
The United Nations anti-crime agency is helping to bolster the justice system in Afghanistan, where reconstruction and development are hampered by corruption and poor governance.
WHO mission to remote village in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: UN health agency calls for stepped-up access to those in need

18 August 2010
On the eve of World Humanitarian Day, the United Nations health agency and its partners in Afghanistan are appealing for greater access by and to those most in need of medical assistance.
Kandahar public works opens new road

UN-backed project paves roads around Afghan city to improve communication links

17 August 2010
The first phase of a United Nations-funded project to pave and improve the standard of roads around the southern Afghan city of Kandahar has opened for public use, the UN mission to the country reports.

UN calls for restraint following violent clashes in Afghan capital

14 August 2010
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan today expressed concern about violent clashes that erupted in the capital on Friday and called on all parties to cease hostilities and exercise restraint.
Staffan de Mistura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan

Top UN envoy urges extra vigilance to ensure safe Afghan polls next month

12 August 2010
With Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections just over a month away, the top United Nations envoy there warned today that security will be the main challenge and called for extra vigilance to ensure that the polls are safe.
Injured civilians at a clinic

Afghan civilian death toll jumps 31 per cent due to insurgent attacks – UN

10 August 2010
A rise in insurgent attacks has led to a 31 per cent increase in the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009, the United Nations said in a new report released today.
Special Representative Staffan de Mistura addresses press in Kabul [File Photo]

UN ‘shocked and appalled’ at killings of medical workers in Afghanistan

9 August 2010
All United Nations staff in Afghanistan are “shocked and appalled” at the killing of ten medical workers in the northeast of the Asian nation, a senior world body official said today, calling for the protection of international health-care workers as they provide life-saving services.
Flooded Kokaldash village in Jawzjan Province, Afghanistan

UN health agency rushing medical help to flood-hit Afghans

5 August 2010
The United Nations health agency said today that it has begun sending medical supplies to aid thousands of people affected by recent flooding across Afghanistan, where the major health concerns right now are water contamination and the spread of waterborne diseases.