UNITED NATIONS, AFGHANISTAN LAUNCH DRUGS INTERDICTION UNIT

(Reissued as received.)

UN AGENCIES SAY AFGHANISTAN REAPS LARGEST EVER HARVEST,

BUT HUNGER REMAINS DESPITE HUGE CROP

(Reissued as received.)

ROME/KABUL, 14 August (FAO/WFP) -- Afghanistan's cereal crop will be the largest harvest on record but many households will continue to require humanitarian assistance, according to a joint report released today by two United Nations food agencies.

KABUL HOSPITAL REBUILT BY UNFPA NOW PROVIDES LIFESAVING OBSTETRIC CARE

(Reissued as received.)

KABUL, 14 July (UNFPA) -- Mothers and infants in north-west Kabul have a far better chance of surviving childbirth, following the inauguration today of a modern hospital rebuilt and refurbished with support from the Government of Italy and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

AFGHAN TEENS SPEAK OUT AGAINST EARLY MARRIAGE ON WORLD POPULATION DAY

(Reissued as received.)

KABUL, 10 July (UNFPA) -- “If my parents tried to force me to marry, I would refuse”, declared Zohal, 16, as her fellow students nodded in agreement.  The Afghan teenagers had just heard government leaders say that early marriage closes girls’ educational prospects and threatens their health, in a forum marking World Population Day.

UN, CENTRAL ASIAN GOVERNMENTS LAUNCH PROJECTS

TO COUNTER HEROIN FLOW FROM AFGHANISTAN

(Reissued as received.)

AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS IN AFGHANISTAN AT RISK

Around $25 Million Urgently Needed for Long-Term Development Activities

(Reissued as received.)

ROME/KABUL, 29 May (FAO)-- Long-term agricultural development activities in Afghanistan are under threat unless urgently needed donor funds are provided, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.

PENITENTIARY REFORM PROJECT IN AFGHANISTAN LAUNCHED

VIENNA, 20 May (UN Information Service) -- On 17 May, Andul Rahim Karimi, the Minister of Justice of Afghanistan, and Mohammad Reza Amirkhizi, the Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan, signed a document on reform of the penitentiary system at a ceremony held in the Ministry of Justice in Kabul.

PRESS STATEMENT BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT FOLLOWING BRIEFING BY CHAIR

OF COMMITTEE MONITORING TALIBAN, AL-QAIDA SANCTIONS

Following is today’s press statement by Security Council President Adolfo Aguilar Zinser (Mexico), following a briefing by the Chair of the Committee monitoring implementation of sanctions against the Taliban and al-Qaida:

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPALLED AT KILLING OF RED CROSS WORKER IN AFGHANISTAN

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for
Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General was appalled to learn of the brutal killing yesterday of Richard Munguía, a delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan.

WETLANDS SHARED BETWEEN AFGHANISTAN, IRAN ALMOST COMPLETELY DRY,

ACCORDING TO REPORT PRESENTED TO ENVIRONMENT LEADERS IN NAIROBI

(Reissued as received.)

NAIROBI, 6 February (UNEP) -- The internationally significant Sistan wetlands -- shared between Afghanistan and Iran -- are almost completely dry, according to a new report presented to environmental leaders in Nairobi today.