The United Nations human rights chief voiced her dismay today after several prisoners were put to death in Afghanistan in recent days and urged the Government to stop any further planned executions.
VN willen eind aan golf executies in Afghanistan
Posts tonen met het label Nangarhar. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label Nangarhar. Alle posts tonen
vrijdag 14 november 2008
dinsdag 14 oktober 2008
UN assisting Afghan authorities to respond to diarrhoea outbreak
United Nations agencies are helping authorities to respond to a diarrhoea outbreak in Afghanistan, where only about a quarter of the population has access to safe drinking water and 20 per cent of child deaths is attributed to the easily preventable disease.
According to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, the outbreak is located mainly in five provinces – Nangarhar, Nuristan, Laghman, Samangan and Faryab – with a few cases also reported in seven others. Twenty-two people have died out of the almost 4,000 cases reported so far.
The UN World Health Organization WHO says the authorities are managing the outbreak well and have taken all necessary steps. The situation seems to be largely under control, the agency added. Nevertheless, it is urging anyone who becomes ill to go to a clinic immediately.
“Those who have gone to the clinic have received life-saving treatment that they need. It is very important to go to the clinic in time and not delay,” Rana Grabar Kakar, WHO Technical Officer, told a news conference in Kabul today.
In light of the current outbreak, Dr. Kakar emphasized the need to ensure the use of safe drinking water by either boiling it or using chlorine tablets. People should also be careful about the foods that might become contaminated by bad water. She stressed the need to peel raw fruits and vegetables or cook them thoroughly before eating.
“We hope everyone will take responsibility to use clean drinking water for themselves and their families and wash hands thoroughly before eating. By taking these simple steps, you can help prevent this disease,” she said.
By washing hands with soap, families and communities can help reduce child mortality rates from diarrhoeal diseases by almost 50 per cent. This is one of the key messages being highlighted across the country as part of the observance of the first ever Global Handwashing Day, which is 15 October.
The UN Children’s Fund UNICEF is also assisting efforts to tackle the outbreak by digging wells, providing safe drinking water and distributing basic health kits, particularly in remote areas.
The struggle for water is one of the themes depicted in a series of photographs by Afghan women currently on display in New York. Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that “right now we need a major humanitarian push to ensure that immediate assistance reaches all Afghans who need it.
At the same time, we have to work for long-term development. And above all, we must secure lasting peace in Afghanistan,” he stated.
In a related development, the Assistant Administrator of the UN Development Programme UNDP today wrapped up a three-day visit to Afghanistan, where he discussed strengthening support for the country’s development efforts and its capacity to deliver services to its people.
In his meetings with Afghan officials, Ajay Chhibber discussed a range of areas of joint cooperation, including voter registration, community empowerment, economic growth, rural development and girls’ education.
(Bron: VN; 13 oktober 2008)
According to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, the outbreak is located mainly in five provinces – Nangarhar, Nuristan, Laghman, Samangan and Faryab – with a few cases also reported in seven others. Twenty-two people have died out of the almost 4,000 cases reported so far.
The UN World Health Organization WHO says the authorities are managing the outbreak well and have taken all necessary steps. The situation seems to be largely under control, the agency added. Nevertheless, it is urging anyone who becomes ill to go to a clinic immediately.
“Those who have gone to the clinic have received life-saving treatment that they need. It is very important to go to the clinic in time and not delay,” Rana Grabar Kakar, WHO Technical Officer, told a news conference in Kabul today.
In light of the current outbreak, Dr. Kakar emphasized the need to ensure the use of safe drinking water by either boiling it or using chlorine tablets. People should also be careful about the foods that might become contaminated by bad water. She stressed the need to peel raw fruits and vegetables or cook them thoroughly before eating.
“We hope everyone will take responsibility to use clean drinking water for themselves and their families and wash hands thoroughly before eating. By taking these simple steps, you can help prevent this disease,” she said.
By washing hands with soap, families and communities can help reduce child mortality rates from diarrhoeal diseases by almost 50 per cent. This is one of the key messages being highlighted across the country as part of the observance of the first ever Global Handwashing Day, which is 15 October.
The UN Children’s Fund UNICEF is also assisting efforts to tackle the outbreak by digging wells, providing safe drinking water and distributing basic health kits, particularly in remote areas.
The struggle for water is one of the themes depicted in a series of photographs by Afghan women currently on display in New York. Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that “right now we need a major humanitarian push to ensure that immediate assistance reaches all Afghans who need it.
At the same time, we have to work for long-term development. And above all, we must secure lasting peace in Afghanistan,” he stated.
In a related development, the Assistant Administrator of the UN Development Programme UNDP today wrapped up a three-day visit to Afghanistan, where he discussed strengthening support for the country’s development efforts and its capacity to deliver services to its people.
In his meetings with Afghan officials, Ajay Chhibber discussed a range of areas of joint cooperation, including voter registration, community empowerment, economic growth, rural development and girls’ education.
(Bron: VN; 13 oktober 2008)
dinsdag 26 augustus 2008
UN survey finds “opium cultivation in Afghanistan drops by a fifth”
The cultivation of opium in Afghanistan has gone down by a fifth as compared to last year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported Wednesday, attributing the decrease to good local leadership coupled with bad weather.
The Afghanistan Opium Survey 2008 showed a 19 per cent decrease in opium cultivation to 157,000 hectares, down from a record harvest of 193,000 in 2007, according to a news release issued by UNODC.
“Last year the world got hit by a heroin tsunami, almost 700 tons,” noted UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa. “This year the opium flood waters have started to recede.”
The survey also found that 18 of the country’s 34 provinces are now opium-free - up from 13 last year. In addition, cultivation now takes place “almost exclusively” in provinces affected by insurgency. Some 98 per cent of Afghanistan’s opium is grown in seven provinces in the southwest of the country - Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Farah, Nimroz, Daykundi and Zabul.
Helmand alone accounted for two thirds of the national total. “If Helmand were a country, it would once again be the world’s biggest producer of illicit drugs,” stated Mr. Costa.
“There is now a perfect overlap between zones of high risk and regions of high opium cultivation,” said Mr. Costa. “Since drugs are funding insurgency, and insurgency enables drug cultivation, insurgency and narcotics must be fought together,” he said.
At the other end of the spectrum is Nangarhar, which in 2007 was the country’s second highest opium-producing province and this year is opium-free.
UNODC attributed the drop in cultivation to good local leadership and the drought which has affected the north and northwest of the country. It said that strong leadership by some governors discouraged farmers from planting opium through campaigns against its cultivation, peer pressure and the promotion of alternative development.
While lauding the recent gains, UNODC is urging that everything be done to help the country continue to reduce opium cultivation, from providing farmers with viable alternatives to opium and closing heroin labs to going after drug traffickers and cracking down on corruption.
“Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the latest food crisis has made farmers even more vulnerable,” noted Mr. Costa. “Opium is a seasonal plant. “It may be gone today, but back again tomorrow.”
(Source: UN)
The Afghanistan Opium Survey 2008 showed a 19 per cent decrease in opium cultivation to 157,000 hectares, down from a record harvest of 193,000 in 2007, according to a news release issued by UNODC.
“Last year the world got hit by a heroin tsunami, almost 700 tons,” noted UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa. “This year the opium flood waters have started to recede.”
The survey also found that 18 of the country’s 34 provinces are now opium-free - up from 13 last year. In addition, cultivation now takes place “almost exclusively” in provinces affected by insurgency. Some 98 per cent of Afghanistan’s opium is grown in seven provinces in the southwest of the country - Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Farah, Nimroz, Daykundi and Zabul.
Helmand alone accounted for two thirds of the national total. “If Helmand were a country, it would once again be the world’s biggest producer of illicit drugs,” stated Mr. Costa.
“There is now a perfect overlap between zones of high risk and regions of high opium cultivation,” said Mr. Costa. “Since drugs are funding insurgency, and insurgency enables drug cultivation, insurgency and narcotics must be fought together,” he said.
At the other end of the spectrum is Nangarhar, which in 2007 was the country’s second highest opium-producing province and this year is opium-free.
UNODC attributed the drop in cultivation to good local leadership and the drought which has affected the north and northwest of the country. It said that strong leadership by some governors discouraged farmers from planting opium through campaigns against its cultivation, peer pressure and the promotion of alternative development.
While lauding the recent gains, UNODC is urging that everything be done to help the country continue to reduce opium cultivation, from providing farmers with viable alternatives to opium and closing heroin labs to going after drug traffickers and cracking down on corruption.
“Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the latest food crisis has made farmers even more vulnerable,” noted Mr. Costa. “Opium is a seasonal plant. “It may be gone today, but back again tomorrow.”
(Source: UN)
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)