Afghanistan: UN Opens New Office In Baghlan

Afghanistan: UN Extends Presence With Opening Of New Office In Baghlan

New York, Nov 10 2008 5:10PM

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has opened its newest office in Pul-i-Khumri, the capital of the country’s northern Baghlan province, bringing the total number of its field offices to 18.

“Our new office will play a crucial role in the coordination of development efforts, monitoring of human rights issues, strengthening of good governance and the rule of law, assisting local institutions in combating corruption and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid,” a spokesperson for the UN Mission told reporters in Kabul today.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Kai Eide, presided at the opening of the new office, which took place this weekend.

In addition to its headquarters in Kabul, UNAMA also has offices in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, Herat, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Bamiyan, Gardez, Ghor, Kunar, Khost, Nimroz, Badghis, Maimana, Faizabad, Daikundi, Zabul and Uruzgan.

The General Assembly today welcomed the ongoing extension of the world body’s presence into additional provinces in Afghanistan, saying it “ensures that the United Nations fulfils its essential coordinating role.”

In a wide-ranging and unanimously adopted resolution on the situation in Afghanistan, the 192-member body encouraged UNAMA to consolidate its presence and to continue its expansion throughout the country, particularly in the south, “security conditions permitting.”

Last month Mr. Eide reported to the Security Council that the number of violent attacks in Afghanistan in the last few months has been the highest since 2002 as the insurgency spreads beyond the south and east of the country.

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