17 May 2010 - Latest news and information from UN agencies operating in Afghanistan.

SHINWARI DISTRICT OF PARWAN PROVINCE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED AS PEACE DISTRICT

Five Commanders will submit 30 different types of weapons to the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme in Shinwari district of Parwan province on Monday, after which Shinwari will be officially announced as a peace district. Meanwhile, 42 additional weapons which were confiscated as result of police and National Directorate of Security operations in Parwan province will also be submitted to the programme by provincial officials.

The ceremony will be attended by Parwan’s provincial governor, the provincial chief of police, the provincial chief of NDS, officials from the Ministry of Defence and officials from the DIAG Joint Secretariat

These commanders not only supported the DIAG programme by surrendering their weapons, but facilitated the announcement of Shinwari district as DIAG compliant/ peace district.

Once the districts achieve DIAG compliance, development projects can begin. DIAG has implemented 16 infrastructure development projects and 79 projects are ongoing in different parts of the country.

As of 13 May 2010, 48,320 weapons have been handed over to DIAG.

For further information, contact: Wahidullah Amani on 0700 266 970.

UNESCO CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY AND WORLD DAY FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR DIALOGUE AND DEVELOPMENT ON 18 MAY

UNESCO and the Ministry of Information and Culture will celebrate International Museum Day and the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on Wednesday 19 May 2010 at the Kabul Museum. The Minister of Information and Culture and UNESCO representatives along with culture and civil society stakeholders will participate in the ceremony.

The World Day provides a golden opportunity to shift the focus of attention to promote cultural diversity as the foundation of sustainable development and peace in the country. This is in line with the world-wide theme of 2010 which is the ‘International Year for the Rapprochement of Culture.’

UNESCO has assisted the Government of Afghanistan since 2002 to rehabilitate the Kabul Museum and to conserve the cultural heritage of the country.

For further information, contact: Mohammad Amin Sadiq on 0799 125 292.

“SAFEGUARDING CULTURAL HERITAGE: POST-CONFLICT, POST-DISASTER STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE MUSEUM MANAGEMENT”

The UNESCO Kabul office continues its support for the rehabilitation of museums in Afghanistan to promote cultural diversity, peace and cross-cultural understanding.

The organization recently conducted a six-day training workshop from 8-13 May 2010 at the National Museum of Afghanistan on “Safeguarding Cultural Heritage: Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Strategies for Sustainable Museum Management” in order to assist the sector in defining and re-defining its role in contemporary Afghan society.

The workshop brought together representatives from across the country who shared their experiences and ideas and discussed solutions for the challenges faced by museums across the country.

AFGHAN PHOTOGRAPHERS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY FOR "WE CAN END POVERTY" PHOTO CONTEST

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Olympus Corporation and the Agence France-Presse (AFP) Foundation, has launched the second annual Picture This photo contest in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The contest seeks to show the inspirational work that is being done in many countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight goals agreed on by world leaders to halve extreme poverty by 2015.

This contest is open to Afghan professional and amateur photographers. Contestants may submit up to three different photographs, focusing on progress towards one of the eight MDGs.

The deadline to submit photos is Friday, 16 July 2010.

For more information, visit: http://picturethis.undp.org