UN AGENCY SHELTERS HUNDREDS OF RETURNING REFUGEES IN NORTHERN AFGHAN WASTELANDS

The United Nations refugee agency has started providing shelter to hundreds of Afghans who have recently returned from Iran to their homeland, more than two decades after they fled during the Soviet Union's occupation of the country in the 1980s.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is scaling up efforts to expand a temporary tented camp in a barren and arid region of northern Afghanistan as the total number of returnees is expected to climb to more than 1,500 in the coming weeks.

The influx of repatriated Afghan refugees – mostly nomadic Kuchi people of Baloch ethnicity who fled the country during the period of Soviet occupation between 1979 and 1989 – are returning from a camp in south-east Iran to the Sozma Qala district to find their homes were destroyed by armed conflict or collapsed after years of neglect.

"Returning to this remote and desolate place, they are defying nature with their tireless determination to start anew," said Aurvasi Patel, head of the UNHCR office in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, adding that with "winter fast approaching, [the] reintegration of these families will be a major challenge."

Alessandra Morelli, UNHCR interim Deputy Representative in Afghanistan, also underscored the difficulties of setting up a transit camp and providing basic water, education and health services in such a desolate area.

"The settlement is a temporary solution to allow people to have a shelter while they are rebuilding their homes in nearby villages," stressed Ms. Morelli.
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TOP UN ENVOY URGES CALM AS AFGHANISTAN AWAITS ELECTION RESULTS

The top United Nations envoy for Afghanistan today urged patience and calm as the country's Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) responds to the complaints that have been received following last week's historic presidential and provincial council polls.

"I say to candidates, campaigners, voters, and media, that you must respect this process. This is a critical part of it. Respect also means demonstrating patience," Kai Eide said during a visit to the Commission's headquarters in Kabul.

Mr. Eide, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), met with some of the commissioners and saw how the ECC deals with the complaints filed by candidates and voters.

The Commission said it has so far received 790 complaints from across the country following the 20 August polls, including 54 classified as "Priority-A," which, if proved, could have an impact on the result.

Mr. Eide said he was concerned about every irregularity, but emphasized that the ECC would do all it can to address and correct them.

Forty-one presidential candidates, including two women, as well as over 3,000 candidates competing for provincial council seats, took part in last week's polls, the first to be organized by the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC).

The elections were hailed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council, both of whom congratulated the Afghan people for exercising their right to vote.
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USAID partners to Map the Afghanistan Elections, Invites All to Share Data on Open Platform

WASHINGTON, DC. - USAID has partnered with Fortius One's GeoCommons, Google, Development Seed, Relief Star-Tides, Synergy Strike Force, and Alive in Afghanistan to map election related incidents online -- enabling anyone to share information that bolsters the fledgling democracy.

See maps and layers of data uploaded at http://news.geocommons.com/afghanistanelection09.

Volunteers from the Synergy Strike Force are on the ground in Jalalabad and are helping to collect, share, and disseminate local data. The Synergy Strike Force (SSF) is a volunteer team that works to support humanitarian relief and stabilization efforts in post conflict environments such as those in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The SSF is a private volunteer organization comprised of individuals with various technical skills and access to a wide range of social network.

Anyone interested in supporting the effort is welcome to participate by uploading any geographically coded data at http://maker.geocommons.com/. If anyone in country has an incident to report via cell phone, they can send a text message to +93 79 404 0569

This open data mapping project is one way for everyone to increase transparency as the elections roll out. It allows anyone anywhere to report an incident in the name of more meaningful democratic results for better governance.

Read about the potential uses of the maps for analysis and policymaking at www.GlobalDevelopmentCommons.net. For more information about the partners and tools involved, please visit http://www.globaldevelopmentcommons.net/node/2776.

This partnership was achieved through USAID's Global Development Commons initiative, which seeks to catalyze innovations for better international development results.

For Afghan Women, Rights Again at Risk

(Kabul) - When the United States and its allies went to war against the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, "liberating the women of Afghanistan" was often cited as one of the reasons to seek "regime change." More than seven years later, however, the situation for Afghan women remains dire.

There have been some bright spots: Women now hold seats in the Afghan parliament, and millions of girls have been able to attend primary school. But educational gains plummet when girls hit secondary school, with just 4 percent of female students reaching 10th grade. Violence against women is endemic; women in public life are regularly threatened, and several have been assassinated.

Things got much worse recently when President Hamid Karzai officially promulgated legislation that would make the Taliban proud. Unfortunately, this is part of a pattern: As Karzai's government has grown weaker he has increasingly turned to some of society's most conservative elements for support.

The Shia Personal Status Law, the most egregious of a series of deals to appease fundamentalist religious leaders and former warlords, contains many provisions that are offensive to women. Custody rights are granted exclusively to fathers and grandfathers. A woman can leave the house without her husband's permission only if she has "reasonable legal reasons," which are unspecified. Yet the law does stipulate financial compensation to be paid by a man who rapes a child or a mentally ill woman, for her loss of virginity, while omitting any reference to a criminal punishment.

Karzai issued the law on July 27 with no public announcement. It came as little surprise that he tried to keep things quiet after the hammering his popularity took in April, when it first emerged that he had signed on to an earlier version of the legislation. President Obama and other world leaders denounced the law then. Even NATO's secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, warned that public reaction in NATO member countries would be to withdraw support for sending their troops to fight in a country that treated women in such ways. Karzai responded by claiming that he had never seen the offending document -- the same excuse he gave last summer after he pardoned two well-connected gang rapists who had served just a fraction of their 11-year prison terms.

Under pressure, Karzai promised to review the legislation. This review led to some improvements, including the removal of an article that gave a man the right to have sex with his wife once every four nights. But many of the most repressive provisions remain. By enacting the law, the president has dashed hopes that official discrimination and the oppression of women by their own government was a thing of the past in Afghanistan.

To guarantee his reelection this week, Karzai has not only made deals with hard-line Shiite leaders but also has held out the prospect of cabinet seats to former warlords and abusive military commanders from all the main ethnic groups. Many of these aging warlords' attitudes toward women are little different from those of the Taliban.

Perhaps of more concern for women and girls is that Karzai is positioning himself as someone who can bring the Taliban and other fundamentalist factions back into the fold. Scant regard is being paid to what this would mean for Afghan women, who have worked courageously for the precious few freedoms they have won in recent years.

When I ask diplomats here what deals with the Taliban will mean for women, I get platitudes and assurances that officials are "only talking to those who sign up to the Afghan constitution." But if the president does not feel bound by the constitution's promise to make men and women equal before the law, should anyone believe it would constrain a former insurgent? As one female activist told me: "Deals with the Taliban will mean everything we have achieved in the last eight years could be lost. It will have been only a dream."

The Kabul government and its backers are supposed to be different from the people they are fighting. Yet with regard to women's rights, Afghans might conclude that there isn't as much difference between the two as they had hoped.

Western governments that expressed horror at Taliban misogyny only a few years ago should not fall silent. Many -- including the U.S. administration -- are uneasy about speaking out about this law so close to the presidential election. But that is just the response that Karzai hoped for. Afghan women want to participate in elections and have peace and security. The price for this should not be their rights.

by Rachel Reid

August 18, 2009

The writer is the Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch.

ELECTION DAY GOING WELL IN AFGHANISTAN, SAYS TOP UN ENVOY

The top United Nations envoy to Afghanistan said he was pleased with the way the country's elections were taking place and there had been less violence than he had feared, during a visit to a local polling station in the capital, Kabul, midway through Election Day.

"I am pleased to see that the elections have been going quite well," Kai Eide, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, told reporters.

"There are scattered incidents here and there, but as you see, in general it seems to be working well, and I am pleased about that."

There had been several attacks in the days leading up to the presidential and provincial council elections, including Tuesday's blast in Kabul which claimed the lives of two UN staffers and at least five others.

But Mr. Eide, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said that there has not been as much violence today as had been expected.

"There have been some attacks, but I must say, all in all, it is at a lower level than I had feared," he stated. "Also, the kind of spectacular attacks that we were warned about have not happened."

Some 17 million voters have been registered to take part in today's polls, the first to be organized by the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC).

Voters will choose from 41 presidential candidates, including two women, and more than 3,000 candidates who are competing for provincial council seats.

Mr. Eide noted that the elections are, first and foremost, important for the Afghan people but that they are also crucial for the country's international partners.

"They also demonstrate that the investments that we made over all these years are important and that this commitment must be long term, but based much more on Afghan leadership and ownership of the whole process."

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BAN CALLS ON ALL AFGHANS TO CAST THEIR VOTES IN TOMORROW’S ELECTIONS

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all eligible Afghan men and women to cast their ballots in tomorrow's presidential and provincial elections, saying their votes will play a crucial role in helping the country on the path towards greater stability and democracy.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that by participating in the elections, "the Afghan people will help Afghanistan strengthen its democratic institutions, bring fresh vigour to the country's political life, and ultimately reaffirm their commitment to contribute to the peace and prosperity of their nation."

He also called on all election candidates, their supporters, political party agents and both domestic and international observers "to continue to cooperate with the Independent Election Commission, other relevant Afghan institutions and international stakeholders supporting electoral preparations, to ensure a smooth and successful electoral process."

Afghanistan has been beset by violence during the election campaign, including two suicide bomb attacks since the weekend in the capital, Kabul. In the latest attack, which occurred yesterday, two United Nations staff members were among those killed.

Earlier this month a report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) found that the prevailing insecurity was affecting preparations for the elections, especially for women.

Tomorrow's elections will feature an estimated 40 presidential candidates and another 3,195 candidates for the provincial council.
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INSECURITY IMPACTING PREPARATIONS FOR AFGHAN POLLS, FINDS UN REPORT

Insecurity is having a serious impact on preparations for Afghanistan's upcoming elections, especially for women, according to the United Nations and the country's human rights body, which added that despite attacks and threats, Afghans are eager to take part in the polls.

A report co-authored by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) found that insecurity has severely limited freedom of movement and constrained freedom of expression for candidates and supporters, hampering their ability to campaign openly through public gatherings or door-to-door visits.

"These restrictions have, in turn, created significant limitations on freedom of association and peaceful assembly, and amplified women's difficulties in participating in the electoral process," stated the report, which covers the period from 16 June to 1 August.

According to the AIHRC, three women candidates in the southern province of Kandahar cannot live there because of the insecurity, while other female candidates are unable to even put up posters due to opposition by their families or other people in their neighbourhoods.

In another case, a woman in Takhar province had her office closed down and her house set on fire for campaigning.

There have been four alleged election-related killings in the month of July, according to the report, which also noted that the political rights of candidates and their supporters have generally been respected despite isolated instances of documented violations.

Kai Eide, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, voiced concern that insecurity will impact voter turnout for the 20 August presidential and provincial council elections.

"I am concerned that security will affect the turnout on the voting day. There is no doubt about that," he told a news conference in Kabul.

"It is of course sad that we have conflict ongoing in the country which will not allow all Afghan voters to come to the polling stations and do what they want to do, to give their vote and have their say what the future of Afghanistan should be.

"So my appeal to everybody is don't block the road for Afghans, male or female who want to do what the Constitution entitles that person to do," said Mr. Eide.

Monitoring shows that the campaigns of the 3,195 provincial council candidates and 40 presidential candidates have been conducted, by and large, in a dignified and engaged manner, and that, despite increasing insecurity, Afghans have demonstrated a high level of interest and enthusiasm to participate in the polls.

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LACK OF ACCESS HAMPERING AID EFFORTS IN AFGHANISTAN, UN OFFICIAL WARNS

While much of the current international attention is on the upcoming elections in Afghanistan, there are a number of humanitarian issues still facing the country, a senior United Nations official stressed today, adding that lack of access is a major impediment to aid efforts.

"The main issue that we are confronting right now as the humanitarian community is that we cannot get access to large parts of the country," Robert Watkins, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, told a news conference in Geneva.

Mr. Watkins, who also serves as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan responsible for relief, recovery and reconstruction, said about 58 per cent of the country has been deemed as medium, to high, to extremely high risk due to security incidents related to the ongoing insurgency.

"That doesn't mean that we cannot get some kind of access there, but it is extremely difficult," he said, adding that the UN has increasingly had to turn to third parties to undertake the delivery of aid in hard-to-reach areas.

UN agencies, along with their governmental and non-governmental partners, are trying to assist millions around the country made vulnerable by natural disasters, lack of access to basic social services, increasing food insecurity and the ongoing conflict.

Their efforts have also been hampered by a rise in attacks against aid workers and organizations, with at least four security incidents targeting them in June alone.

The UN and its partners have appealed for $648 million to help meet the needs of the most vulnerable in Afghanistan, where 42 per cent of the population lives on less than $1 per day. Some 68 per cent of the appeal has been funded to date.

The fledgling democracy is gearing up for presidential and provincial council elections, scheduled to be held on 20 August, and Mr. Watkins voiced concern that the "great" humanitarian needs may be overshadowed by the international focus on the upcoming polls.

"We're seeing so much attention going [to] the elections that I think some of our donors are losing sight of the importance of humanitarian issues which are still very much in the forefront in Afghanistan, which is a very underdeveloped country," he stated.
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RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHER TO CAPTURE IMAGES OF PEACE, PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN – UN

World-famous photographer Tim Page is joining the United Nations mission in Afghanistan to document efforts to shore up democracy and peacebuilding efforts in the South Asian nation.

Mr. Page, from the United Kingdom, will capture images of the final weeks before landmark presidential and provincial council elections on 20 August, as well as photographing the lead-up to the International Day of Peace on 21 September.

"One image is worth 1,000 words, or is it a billion pixels?" said Mr. Page, voicing hope that his work will have the same impact as images taken during elections in Cambodia in 1993 and Bosnia in 1998.

While in Afghanistan, the renowned shutterbug will also hold a series of master classes for young Afghan photographers.

"For me, the chance to mentor Afghan photojournalists is an awesome privilege, to promote their skills and passions," said Mr. Page, who snapped some of the most famous and enduring images during the Viet Nam War during the course of his nearly five-decade career.

The head of the UN mission, known as UNAMA, expressed optimism that the photographer will help raise awareness of the hopes and aspirations of the Afghan people ahead of the historic polls.

"Too often the images we see of Afghanistan are those of conflict and violence," said Kai Eide, who also serves as the Secretary-General's Special Representative. "Afghanistan has another story to tell. Few people have the opportunity to see the dignity and determination with which Afghan people live under the most challenging circumstances."

Recently, he told the UN News Centre that the upcoming elections are by far the most difficult and complex he has ever seen, illustrated by the use of over 3,000 donkeys to deliver ballot papers to the most remote regions.

Despite flaws in the process, the envoy said the campaigns were dignified and the political debate intense.
In addition, the "security organizations – the Afghan army, the Afghan police and ISAF – are doing their utmost with the Election Commission to identify and try to open as many as possible," said Mr. Eide.
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AFGHANISTAN: TOP UN ENVOY URGES ELECTION CALM, PRAISES ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES

The top United Nations official in Afghanistan today condemned violent attacks on presidential hopefuls ahead of this month's national and provincial elections, urging all parties to concentrate on the political debate.

"There has been -- and there is -- concern about irregularities, and those are concerns that I share and I condemn, in particular, the attacks that have taken place on candidates and on supporters of candidates," Kai Eide, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, told reporters in Kabul.

Mr. Eide noted that the war-ravaged country had never "witnessed such a vibrant political debate in this country, and we have never seen such involvement by the public, as we have seen during these few weeks.

"It is critically important that in the next three weeks, we see a continuation of the political debate, and that we do not get into a situation where the debate is focused on irregularities and accusations and counter-accusations," he stressed.

In a direct appeal to the media, Mr. Eide underscored the importance of avoiding incorrect or misleading reports that could inflame the tense situation.

He added that everyone shares the responsibility to ensure a stable environment after the elections on 20 August.

"All must conduct a campaign in a way that the results are accepted by the people. I repeat this is a shared responsibility. Whoever wins this election will have to govern the entire country."

Mr. Eide pointed to a series of measures taken by local election authorities to avoid the possibility of fraud on the day of the vote, including the implementation of strict controls on the movement and handling of all sensitive materials, based on internationally accepted standards, and the deployment of observers and political agents at polling stations.

"The [Independent] Election Commission, security institutions and the Unit
ed Nations are doing whatever can be done to make sure that a maximum number of polling stations are open on polling day," said Mr. Eide, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission to Afganistan (UNAMA).

Mr. Eide also voiced concern over the poor state of the country's prison system, highlighting the need for increased resources to improve deteriorating facilities, the importance of providing families of detainees with prompt information about their whereabouts and situation, and the need to bolster the justice system to ensure that detainees have access to the due process of law.
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UN OFFICES IN AFGHANISTAN TARGETED BY MILITANT ROCKET FIRE

Rebel insurgents in Afghanistan have launched a rocket attack on a United Nations compound in the western province of Herat, causing damage to a vehicle and equipment, the UN mission to the war-wracked nation said in a statement today.

Some seven rockets were fired last night in a deliberate attack against the UN, with two of the missiles landing inside the compound, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in the statement condemning the attack

"Thankfully no UN staff were harmed or otherwise injured in this attack and our offices remain open," said the spokesperson for the in the statement.

The head of UNAMA, Kai Eide, told the UN News Centre that the attack resulted in damage to a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) vehicle and two UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) generators.

"United Nations staff are here to help Afghanistan's most vulnerable communities," the mission said, adding that the "impartiality of the work we do for the people of Afghanistan
must be respected."

UNAMA urged the Afghan authorities to make every effort to find the militants behind this attack and hold them accountable.
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SECURITY COUNCIL STRESSES NEED FOR FREE, FAIR AND SECURE AFGHAN POLLS NEXT MONTH

The Security Council today welcomed the Afghan-led preparations for next month's presidential and provincial council elections, and stressed the importance of "free, fair, transparent, credible, secure and inclusive" polls.

In a statement read out by Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, the 15-member body also called on the Afghan people "to exercise their vote in this historic opportunity for all Afghans to make their voices heard."

In addition, the Council stressed the importance of a secure environment for conducting elections, and condemned those who resort to violence to obstruct the electoral process.

While recognizing the ongoing efforts of the Afghan Government, it encouraged additional efforts by the authorities with the assistance of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to ensure security during the electoral period.

The presidential poll is scheduled to be held on 20 August, the date set by the country's Independent Electoral Commission.

Last month the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan told the Council that the August election is about more than choosing the country's leaders.

"It is about strengthening people's confidence in the democratic process, and about strengthening Afghanistan's institutions. It is not only about who will lead, but about the legitimacy of leadership," said Kai Eide, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

As part of its efforts to assist in the preparations for the polls, the Mission has issued a set of guidelines for the conduct of all those who are engaged in the elections – government officials, candidates, supporters, electoral officials and media and international representatives – related to the election campaign, the election day and the immediate post-election day process.

The UN has also been involved in the training of some 35,000 police officers ahead of the elections, and helped set up a toll-free election information hotline.
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TERRORISM KILLS MORE AFGHAN CIVILIANS THAN ANY MILITARY ACTION – UN MISSION

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has spoken out against the use of suicide bombings and other terrorist activities, which it says kills more civilians than any other military action.

The reaction came after last Thursday's bomb blast in Logar province which killed more than 20 people, including children on their way to school. UNAMA condemned the "barbaric" attack, the latest in a string of violence targeted at aid organizations.

"The United Nations in Afghanistan has long made clear its deep concern about the use of suicide bombs and terrorist acts in populated areas," Nazifullah Salarzai, a spokesperson for the Mission told a news conference in Kabul today.

"These are resulting in more civilian casualties in Afghanistan than any other military tactic, and must stop. The civilian population of this country has a right to be safe from violence and threats."

The head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has also spoken out against last week's attack, stressing that the children of Afghanistan, like children everywhere, have a right to be protected from violence and to develop free of threats, intimidations and violent attacks.

"Even where they do not suffer directly from the violence, when children are not allowed to feel safe at school or travelling to school, their education and their prospects suffer, and the futures of their families and their communities are undermined," said Ann M. Veneman.

UNICEF has recorded 98 school incidents in the period from 1 May until 24 June 2009, including direct attacks by small arms and rockets, arson, and threats. Ms. Veneman said these attacks "pull the country backwards and threaten the significant advances that have been made in education and child health in recent years."

Recent violence has also targeted those trying to help the fledgling democracy rebuild. Last month three national staff members of a local non-governmental organization (NGO) were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was destroyed by a roadside bomb in Jawzjan province. In addition, the office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Kunduz was attacked in early June with a rocket-propelled grenade having been fired at the compound.

The ongoing violence is of particular concern as the country gears up for presidential elections slated for 20 August. The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Kai Eide, has highlighted the critical importance of the upcoming polls, noting that it is about more than choosing the country's future leaders.

"After years of conflict and developments that have not met Afghans' expectations, it is important to strengthen peoples' confidence in the democratic processes, and to strengthen Afghanistan's democratic institutions. It is about the legitimacy of leadership," he stated.

The UN has called on all candidates to campaign with dignity and avoid language that could incite violence, and on government officials and institutions to avoid interference during all phase of the election process.

It has also appealed to all voters to take part in the polls, stressing that such participation is essential to the legitimacy of the election results.
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SOME 12,000 HOUSEHOLDS HIT BY FLOODS IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN, UN REPORTS

SOME 12,000 HOUSEHOLDS HIT BY FLOODS IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN, UN REPORTS
New York, Jun 3 2009 1:00PM
Some 12,000 households in nine provinces in northern and north-eastern Afghanistan have been affected by floods since April, according to the latest United Nations-backed assessments.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) reported today that another round of flooding is expected to hit the South Asian nation's north-east, as the snow remaining on the mountains of the Kunduz sub-basin begins to melt in the coming weeks, exacerbating the situation.

Given the amount of snowfall and the Kunduz River's rising water levels, OCHA predicts that the new floods could surpass the deadly 2005 floods in the region in both extent and duration.

Non-food relief supplies – including tents, blankets, family kits and plastic sheets – are urgently needed to meet ongoing needs, the Office noted.
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UN BEGINS TRAINING 35,000 AFGHAN POLICE OFFICERS AHEAD OF ELECTIONS

UN BEGINS TRAINING 35,000 AFGHAN POLICE OFFICERS AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
New York, Jun 1 2009 12:01PM
The first batch of Afghan police wrapped up a training programme today that will eventually reach tens of thousands of officers in preparation for this year's presidential and provincial council elections, announced the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (<"http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1741">UNAMA).

Some 25 police officers have completed a two-day course in Kabul in the first phase of a programme that will train 350 officers in Herat, Kabul, Mazar and Kandahar who will then pass on their skills to 35,000 officers across the country ahead of the 20 August polls.

The programme aims to prime the police officers to tackle security threats and provide voters with the confidence needed to come out in large numbers and cast their ballots without fear, a UNAMA spokesperson <"http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1761&ctl=Details&mid=1892&ItemID=4052">told reporters in Kabul.

The elections support project of the UN Development Programme in Afghanistan (UNDP/ELECT), together with the European Union's Police Mission (EUPOL) and the Ministry of Interior, is training officers on the electoral process, Afghanistan's election law, international standards of elections and their role during the elections.

UNAMA and the <"http://afghanelections.org/">UNDP/ELECT project are supporting Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission in organizing the polls, for which nominations closed on 8 May with 44 candidates in the running for the presidential election and 3,324 for the provincial council elections.

The UN Mission also announced that a girls' high school has opened in the Qaramqul district of the northern province of Faryab with $257,000 in funding from Norway.

The project was implemented by the Department of Rehabilitation and Rural Development under <"http://www.undp.org/">UNDP's National Area Based Development Programme.

The school, which can house 640 students at a time, is one of nine school projects which are under construction or rehabilitation by the area based programme in Faryab province with a total budget of close to $2 million.

In addition, children in the north-eastern province of Kunduz will have a new school building, where 15,000 students in the Qala-i-Zal district will be able to study in the school's 16-classrooms thanks to the UNDP Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Rural Development is building the school which costs $127,818, said UNAMA.
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US: Reversal on Torture Photos a Blow to Openness, Accountability

May 13, 2009

(Washington, DC) - President Barack Obama's decision to block the release of photos depicting the abuse of detainees in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan strikes a blow to transparency and accountability, Human Rights Watch said today.

"We understand President Obama's concern about protecting US military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the real danger comes not from the knowledge that abuse happened but the sense that those responsible for planning and authorizing it haven't been held accountable," said Stacy Sullivan, counterterrorism adviser at Human Rights Watch.

The photos, believed to number as many as 2,000, are part of detainee abuse cases the military investigated between 2001 and 2005. They reportedly depict US military personnel humiliating and otherwise mistreating detainees. A federal judge ordered them released by May 28 as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Obama administration initially supported the release of the photos, but reversed course on Tuesday, May 12, after top US military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan told Obama they feared the release of the photos could endanger US troops. The administration now plans to appeal the judge's ruling to release the photos.

President Obama stated today that the soldiers depicted in these pictures engaging in conduct not authorized by the US Army Field Manual had been investigated and sanctioned, suggesting that the underlying problem had therefore been addressed. However, the administration appears to have ruled out taking any action against the senior military and civilian officials who authorized such conduct.

"In the Bush era, abuse was a policy dictated from the top down, but just about the only people who were punished were the privates and sergeants who had the misfortune of appearing in photographs," said Sullivan. "It would be tragic if the Obama administration accepted that outcome."

Human Rights Watch has called for prosecution of those responsible for authorizing and ordering detainee mistreatment, as well as a commission of inquiry into the full extent of post-9/11 abuses.

Afghanistan: NATO Should "˜Come Clean" on White Phosphorus

Release Report on Attack in Which Child Burned

May 8, 2009

(New York) - NATO forces in Afghanistan should immediately release the results of their investigation into a March 14, 2009, incident in which an 8-year-old girl in Kapisa province was burned by white phosphorus munitions, Human Rights Watch said today. A NATO spokesperson has denied allegations from the girl's father that NATO forces had fired the rounds that caused her injuries.

"White phosphorus causes horrendous burns and should not be used in civilian areas," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. "NATO should immediately make public the results of its investigation into this incident."

The girl's family brought her to the US military base in Bagram on March 14 for medical treatment for severe burns. US military doctors say they found white phosphorus on her face and neck. The incident took place in Alahsay district in eastern Kapisa Province, where there had been a series of fierce firefights in March involving NATO forces and insurgent groups.

NATO officials have said that according to their records, no rounds were found to have landed near the house, though have not denied using white phosphorus during this engagement. They have suggested that the Taliban may have fired the rounds, but have not provided any evidence for their claim. Today the International Security Assistance Force released information on four isolated incidents dated between December 2007 and May 2009 where they say insurgents used white phosphorus munitions.

Under international humanitarian law, chemicals such as white phosphorus can legitimately be used as "obscurants" to hide military operations and, in certain circumstances, as a weapon. However, white phosphorus munitions have a significant incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set alight fields, buildings, and other civilian objects in the vicinity. Human Rights Watch believes that the use of white phosphorus munitions in densely populated areas violates the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life.

The spokesman for the commander of NATO and US troops in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette, confirmed that white phosphorus munitions are used in Afghanistan. He told Human Rights Watch: "We do not target personnel with white phosphorus, which is a conventional weapon in the arsenals of many nations, generally used for screening, marking, and illumination."

"NATO has not denied using white phosphorus during the Kapisa incident, nor have they provided evidence that the insurgents fired these rounds," said Garlasco. "NATO and US forces need to reassure the people of Afghanistan, already alarmed by high civilian casualties, that these munitions are not being used unlawfully."

Afghan, Pakistani Leaders Back Regional Power Project.

"Presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan gave crucial support Friday to a World Bank-backed $680 million regional electricity transmission project.... The two leaders issued a joint statement backing the Central Asia-South Asia electricity transmission and trade project -- code named CASA 1000 -- after talks in Washington with World Bank President Robert Zoellick...." [Agence France Presse (5/8)/Factiva]

UzReport.com adds that "...this is the first phase of a program to create a regional electricity market by facilitating electricity trade between the energy-resource rich countries of Central Asia, and the energy-deficit countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan in South Asia. A transmission link from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan was opened recently, and the planned CASA 1000 project will link Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic to South Asia...." [UzReport.com (Uzbekistan, 5/11)/Factiva]

Pajhwok Afghan News writes that "...the presidents recognized that the completion of CASA 1000... will catalyze additional energy investments and trade both in the four CASA countries as well as in the region. It could have a positive demonstration effect on other regional infrastructure projects between Afghanistan and Pakistan, such as the upgrading of the Peshawar-Kabul Road and the Peshawar-Kabul Rail Link, they believed...." [Pajhwok Afghan News (Afghanistan, 5/9)/Factiva]

UN EXPANDS PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN WITH NEW OFFICE IN THE NORTH

UN EXPANDS PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN WITH NEW OFFICE IN THE NORTH
New York, May 9 2009 10:00AM
The United Nations opened its 20th office in the northern Sar-i-Pul province of Afghanistan on Saturday, continuing the world body's drive to promote development across the strife-torn nation.

"I consider this opening to be especially important, because it reflects one of our most important objectives to draw more attention and resources to the poorest provinces," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Kai Eide said at a ceremony marking the event.

Mr. Eide, who heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said that the poor and the stable provinces in the Central and Northern parts of the country cannot continue to be neglected.

Pledging to push for an equitable and astute distribution of assistance to the people of Sar-i-Pul and across Afghanistan, he warned that if we allow "this feeling of unfairness to continue, then the result could be instability where t
here is today stability."

The new office in Sar-i-Pul aims to introduce agricultural reform as to avoid the constant humanitarian crises of the past, as well as devote attention to human rights, particularly the rights of women.

"Afghanistan needs the resources and talents that its women can bring to the development of the country," he said. "It is a not just a question of human rights of individuals, but also the future of the entire country."

Mr. Eide also used the occasion to urge the people of Afghanistan to ensure that the upcoming presidential and provincial elections are free of corruption and compliant with the country's Constitution and laws.

Earlier this week, the Special Representative opened a UNAMA office in Tirin Kot, the capital of the southern province of Uruzgan, stating that the "opening of our office should serve as a signal encouraging others to come and work in this province."

UNAMA's other offices are located in Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz, Heart, Kandahar, Nang
arhar, Bamyan, Kabul, Gardez, Ghor, Kunar, Khost, Nimroz, Badghis, Maimana, Uruzgan, Faizabad, Daikundi and Zabul provinces. In addition, the mission has liaison offices in the Iranian capital of Tehran and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
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NEW AFGHAN LAW COULD CURTAILS RIGHTS TO EDUCATION, GENDER EQUALITY – UNESCO HEAD

A new law that could be adopted by Afghanistan's Parliament on the status of Shiites in the South Asian nation undermines the right to education, the principle of gender equality and the rights of the child, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said today.

In a letter to Afghan President Hamid Karzai today, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura expressed concern that the draft legislation contravenes principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, calling on the country's leader to prevent the law from entering into force.

UNESCO's constitution promotes universal respect for rights and fundamental freedoms "without distinction of race, sex, language or religion," and calls for education for all "without regard to race, sex or any distinctions, economic or social."

Further, the agency ensures that the rights and specific needs of women are taken into consideration in all of its programmes, stressing the importance of unrestricted access to education by girls and women as a precondition to social and economic development, Mr. Matsuura said.

In his letter, Mr. Matsuura welcomed the strides Afghanistan's Government has made in many areas, including education, which is recognized as a right in the country's constitution.

Earlier this month, the top UN human rights official called for the repeal of another new law in the country which she said seriously curtails women's rights, even explicitly permitting marital rape, and is a "huge step in the wrong direction."

The law regulates the personal status of the country's minority Shi'a community members, including relations between men and women, divorce and property rights.

It denies Afghan Shi'a women the right to leave their homes except for 'legitimate' purposes; forbids them from working or receiving education without their husbands' express permission; weakens mothers' rights in the event of a divorce; and makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands, even if husbands can inherit property from their wives.

"This is another clear indication that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is getting worse, not better," said Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights. "Respect for women's rights – and human rights in general – is of paramount importance to Afghanistan's future security and development."
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