News

KABUL - Farmers in three of Afghanistan’s northern provinces are switching to regular crops such as wheat and onion as major alternatives to opium poppies, the cultivation of which rose to record levels this year, prompting…

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…