10 July 2009 - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan launches a new radio programme this Saturday. .

“Afghanistan Today” is a joint production of UNAMA’s press office and the national broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA).

The new radio programme, which will be broadcast at 8am on RTA every Saturday in Dari and Pashto, will feature a variety of news and views from UN agencies in Afghanistan and other issues affecting people in the country.

“The aim of the new show is to offer listeners a window on the work of the United Nations in Afghanistan. We’ll be bringing them stories that they want to hear, and most importantly in the next few months, stories on the elections and the build up to Peace Day on 21 September,” said the show’s producer Jamil Danish from UNAMA.

On 20 August Afghanistan goes to the polls in presidential and provincial council elections.

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission is organizing the elections with support from UNAMA and the UN’s elections project UNDP/ELECT.

On 21 September the International Day of Peace is marked worldwide.

For the last two years the day has been marked in Afghanistan with a whole series of events and activities.

Last year the UN recorded a 70 per cent reduction in violent incidents on the day.

UNAMA’s new radio programme aims to report on key events in the country in the forthcoming weeks and months.

At the same time the UNAMA press office is providing reports in English for UN Radio in New York.

The new radio programme and reports are also online on UNAMA’s website.

UNAMA already produces two popular television shows with RTA every week.

By Dominic Medley, UNAMA