News

HELMAND - During a joint mission to Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province earlier this week, officials from six United Nations agencies met with local authorities on how they could strengthen their partnership in responding…

KUNDUZ - The newly-appointed governor to Kunduz today vowed to bring visible and positive changes to the security situation and accelerate the reconstruction process within two months.Ghulam Sakhi Baghlani, who replaced…

KABUL - Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan rose to record levels this year with a 36 per cent increase compared to last year, according to a new survey launched today by the United Nations drug and crime agency and the…

KABUL - Over 20 tons of illicit narcotics, precursor materials and alcohol – seized by Afghan authorities in raids in Kabul and its outskirts over the past ten months – were destroyed in a bonfire today, in the presence of…

KABUL - The Government of Afghanistan has issued an appeal to the international community for funds for the country’s mine action programme which has experienced a 25 per cent drop in its funding this year compared to last…

BAMYAN - A number of development projects implemented in the remote hinterlands of Afghanistan’s central Bamyan province – with support from the United Nations refugee agency and handed over to the local community recently –…

KABUL - Despite some progress in restraining cultivation, trafficking and use of illicit drugs in Afghanistan, it still remains a “critical challenge” for the country, which is the largest producer and cultivator of opium in…

NEW YORK - Highlighting the environmental dimension of sustainable development, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern that natural resources continue to be exploited and degraded during armed…

KABUL - A United Nations-backed high-level anti-corruption body today urged the Afghan institution organizing next year’s Presidential elections, as well as Afghan authorities, to develop regulations and proper monitoring…

KABUL - Afghanistan has become more business-friendly through reforms efforts launched in 2012-2013, according to a new joint report from the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).“Afghanistan made…

BALKH - The United Nations envoy to Afghanistan today inaugurated the premises of the world body’s office in Mazar-e-Sharif, the regional capital of the country’s north, highlighting how its presence there was a reflection of…

KABUL - Preparations are underway to roll out a socio-demographic and economic survey in Kabul Province, with the aim of collecting reliable data which can help guide the development policies and programmes of the Afghan…