Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, I am delighted to be visiting Afghanistan in the course of this week. As you may know, my responsibility and mandate within the United Nations, is to serve as an advocate - a voice for children who are effected by armed conflict. It is to help promote their well being, their rights and their protection. It is a world-wide mandate and it concerns both situations were there are ongoing or unfolding conflicts within countries as well among states. But it also concerns, most importantly, situations where the guns may have gone silent and war may have formally ended, but of course, the legacy, the heritage of years of conflict continues to haunt and affect the lives of children. So we deal with both ongoing conflicts and post conflict situations.

I have come to Afghanistan because, unfortunately, the young people of this country are among those who have suffered unbelievably in the context of over 20 years of brutal war, isolation and deprivation. I don’t need to remind you of some of the telling indicators of the impact of this long period of war on the young people of this country. You have in Afghanistan more than one million children who are orphans and more than two million children are displaced both within the country as so called internally displaced as well as refugees outside national borders.

Afghanistan must be among the countries most affected and whose landscape is worst contaminated by landmines. The estimate is that there are between 10 to 15 million landmines lying within this country. Of the 70,000 landmine victims estimated, we believe that half of them in fact are children. That is dramatic.

Then there is the situation of education, the deprivation of education for children, especially for girls over the years; what has happened in terms of children drifting into streets and child labour because of the conditions created by the war; as well as the deprivation of recreation and sports for children. Some young people who have been enticed into being associated with fighting groups in various capacities here and there is also a major concern for us. It is no accident that in view of all these factors, Afghanistan remains one of the countries with the highest infant mortality rate anywhere in the world. I believe that something in the range of 25 percent of children die below the age of five and that is exceedingly high.

Finally, Afghanistan too is one of the countries where malnutrition, lack of adequate nutrition and chronic malnutrition especially, is very widespread. Perhaps 50 percent of children suffer from this, and even though the severity may vary, the chronic nature of malnutrition is very widespread.

All of this indicates the magnitude of the impact and the suffering that children and young people, generations of them, have had in fact. And this is the reason why I am here. I am here to see for myself, to witness and assess firsthand the impact of this period on children and to see what is being done to respond to this challenge by the government of Afghanistan, by local civil society and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and, of course, by United Nations Agencies and international NGOs who are here to help the Afghan people. I am here to help ensure that together the appropriate focus is placed on the concerns and needs of children and that they will be central in any programme of reconstruction, rebuilding and healing. Why? Because they have suffered perhaps the worst. And also because the future cannot be guaranteed without giving hope, a positive role, participation and constructive activities to young people and children in terms of development of the country. In terms of long term consolidations, sustaining of peace, it is crucial that we don’t lose a moment in investing in young people and making them the actors who can guarantee the future that this country needs.

Finally, it is crucial for me that in whatever we do, we make sure that we are helping to strengthen the capacity of the Afghan people themselves within the family, within the communities, the government, civil society organizations and to take care of the children and youth of Afghanistan. It is their responsibility. We in the international community can give a helping hand to increase and consolidate that capacity. Unless we can do that, a good deal of what we are about will come to little. So, it is very important for me that we do our work very much within that context.

Thank you very much. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have for me.

Questions and Answers

Q: In consideration that, you say that probably 50 percent of children in Afghanistan are malnourished, as you see more clearly the effects on Afghan children, what is the role of the United Nations in supporting and take care of them?
USG/SRSG: In terms of malnutrition, as I said earlier, I don’t know the rate of severe malnutrition, but I know that chronic malnutrition is very widespread and perhaps 50 percent of the children suffer from this. Part of this is providing not just food, but making sure that the right nutrients are there in terms of vitamins and all the other things that should be there to make a child grow and be resistant and strong, especially against diseases which are preventable. Part of what I understand is that because of the chronic malnutrition and the lack of nutrients, it means the children become very vulnerable to banal diseases and this then leads to a higher rate of deaths among them. This is being tackled by the UN agencies and by NGOs working with Afghan authorities in the provinces as well as here in the capital.

I should just mention to you that, of course, in the course of my stay here, I am very happy to answer your questions and to meet and discuss with those of you who may wish to know about particular aspects of my visit. In addition to the time spent in Kabul at the beginning and at the end where I will be meeting with government officials, of course, with the UN agencies, the NGOs and other actors, I will also be going to the provinces, particularly to Kandahar and to Mazar. I am happy in the course of my visit as well as at the end to discuss with you. I believe at the end, in any event, it is envisaged that there will be a group briefing for you, ladies and gentlemen of the media.

Thank you very much.

The press briefing with Mr. Otunnu will take place on Saturday, 27 July 2002, 11.30 hrs in the UNDP conference room located next door to the UNAMA Compound B.]

Press Briefing by David Singh
Public Information Officer, Office of Communication and Public Information, UNAMA
Sunday, 21 July 2002, 10am, UNAMA

TALKING POINTS

Mine Explosion in Bamyan

Yesterday morning, a bus carrying 19 passengers hit a landmine 500 metres from the eastern edge of Band-i-Amir Lake Complex in the “Central Highlands” Region of Afghanistan. According to reports from the field, 13 passengers were killed and six wounded.

The Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) in Kabul was contacted in order to facilitate contact with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) about a potential helicopter airlift for the wounded. ISAF was on standby, awaiting confirmation on the need for an airlift when reports from the field indicated that of the six injured, most had minor injuries, with the exception of one passenger who sustained a fractured/broken shinbone.

As none of the injuries were either life threatening or critical, ambulances of the Mine Action Centre of Afghanistan (MACA), already in the vicinity were used to transport the dead and injured to Bamyan hospital. In addition, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) provided backup support. To ensure a safe rescue effort, MACA inspected and cleared the immediate vicinity of additional landmines.

According to reports, the bus driver was told by villagers to take a detour route because of the presence of land mines on the main road but for reasons unknown, did not heed this advice.

SRSG’s Briefing to the Security Council

Last Friday in New York, in a briefing to the Security Council, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi, said there were a few critical factors that gave rise to cautious optimism in Afghanistan. The first was the fact that Afghans were finally experiencing peace - most were determined to do everything in their power to avoid a relapse into war. Second, while there were still many individuals and factions seeking power, no one so far had opted out of the peace process. Third, the international community’s interest in Afghanistan had not waned, despite many other crises and deserving causes elsewhere in the world. And finally, all the deadlines set out in the Bonn Agreement had been met on time.

Despite the achievements, however, Mr. Brahimi cautioned that countless challenges and problems remained. Foremost among those was security. The real key to the restoration of security lay in the creation of a national army and a police force, along with a strong demobilization programme. Equally important was the proposed reform of the National Directorate for Security (NDS). But while Afghan President Hamid Karzai had highlighted those areas as priorities, he needed a clear commitment from factional leaders, as well as much more determined and sustained support from the international community, in order to realize those objectives.

Mr. Brahimi went on to say that in the meantime there was a security void in the country. “We have recognized, time and time again, the dramatic improvement in security in Kabul in less than six months, thanks to the presence of ISAF”, he said. He further stated that every foreign delegation that had visited Kabul over the past few months had praised this progress and acknowledged that the precarious situation elsewhere in the country could hamper progress on all fronts. Yet, despite that fact, there did not seem to be much support for the one measure that was certain to improve the security situation - the expansion of ISAF to other parts of the country.

A copy of the full statement is available at the back of the room.

Visit of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict

Under Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu has just arrived in Afghanistan to begin a week long mission where he will assess firsthand the impact of more than two decades of conflict on the country’s children. During the upcoming week, Mr. Otunnu will visit schools, including schools for girls, orphanages, centers for street children, camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnee areas and also witness demining activities.

One of the main objectives of his visit is to see what more needs to be done to ensure the protection, rights and well being of Afghan children and youth. Mr. Otunnu will also meet senior representatives of the Islamic Transitional Authority of Afghanistan, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and members of the recently established Judicial and Independent Human Rights Commissions. In addition he will meet with International NGOs and civil society groups including youth and women’s organizations.

In addition to Kabul, The Under Secretary-General will travel to Mazar-i-Sharif in the north and Kandahar in the southwest. A visit to the Shomali Plain region north of Kabul has also been scheduled. This area is heavily contaminated with land mines and unexploded ordnances and presents a daily threat to local populations.

Mr. Otunnu will also participate in an international conference to discuss Afghan accession to the 1997 mine ban convention. The United Nations General Assembly established the SRSG’s Office in 1997. Since then Mr. Otunnu has sought in cooperation with other parts of the United Nations system to ensure that key actors at international, regional and national levels comprehensively address the protection and rights of war effected children. He has been public advocate and moral voice on behalf of the millions of children affected by conflict around the world.

Mr. Otunnu will be coming here at 11.00 hrs to answer questions from the press. He will also give a press conference next Saturday, 27 July to summarize his tour at 11.30 hrs in the UNDP conference room next to UNAMA Compound B.

Update on Disarmament in Sholgareh

In Sholgareh approximately 400 heavy and light weapons including one multi barrel rocket launcher have been collected. It is estimated that there are around 1,000 to 1,200 weapons in the area.

Commanders from the two sides, the two factions [Jamiat and Jumbesh], will meet at the end of the day to confirm the numbers of registered and collected weapons in the various collection points.

The disarmament is expected to continue in the coming weeks as news of the exercise reaches more remote villages in the district.

Yesterday commanders met with the Security Commission Mazar and decided to establish among other things a local police force, to stop collecting agricultural taxes and guarantee to guarantee the security of all international staff.

UNDP/UNOPS Outputs in 2002

We have an update from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) of their output indicators so far this year at the back of the room.

UNHCR Update - Maki Shinohara

The refugee return figure passed the 1.3 million mark on Friday. More than 1.2 million refugees have now returned from Pakistan alone, since our repatriation assistance began in March. Together with our partners we've also helped up to 200,000 internally displaced persons to return home, which is half of what we expect to assist this year.

While we welcome the large-scale returns as positive signs of people’s hope and confidence toward peace in Afghanistan, the humanitarian community is under an enormous pressure to help Afghans kick start their lives back home after years in displacement.

To cope with this unexpectedly high rate of return, UNHCR is adjusting its assistance program for the remainder of the year. We have raised this year’s planning figure to more than 2 million returnees from the initial 1.2 million, which many had observed earlier this year as being too high.

But since we are working within the fixed budget of USD 271 million, we are forced to cut down on some aid programs to match the mass return. UNHCR will maintain programs in its priority areas of providing protection, travel assistance, return supplies, and life-sustaining shelter and water. But we will need to cut down on sectors such as education and health. We will target aid to rural areas as much as possible, and reduce the number of shelter assistance beneficiaries from 97,000 to 50,000 households.

Due to the current shortfall of USD 65 million and the high rate of return, we will not be able to provide return packages beyond our current procurement plan. Our supplies of non-food items are already low in some parts of Afghanistan where other agencies’ stocks are being used to meet the needs of the returnees. Future return packages will only include plastic sheeting and hygiene items.

Despite the financial shortfall, UNHCR will attempt to continue providing travel assistance, which ranges from $5 to $30 per returnee depending on the destination. We are also stockpiling contingency supplies for 200,000 people, in case people become stranded this winter.

WFP Update - Alejandro Chicheri

Assistance to Returning Refugees
During the last week, a total of 3,345 MT of food commodities were dispatched to implementing partners for various WFP activities in the Kabul Area. 35 percent of this food was allocated to assisting refugees returning from Pakistan through the Pul-i-Charkhi repatriation center near Kabul.

The number of returning refugees has far exceeded expectations, and has also put tremendous pressure on already limited resources. Due to a shortage of resources however, WFP has agreed to assist up to 1.5 million returnees for the year 2002. In addition, those families returning from 1 July onward are receiving a ration of 100 kg, reduced from the original ration of 150kg.

Kabul Women’s Bakery Update
In the past two months, WFP has increased the number of Women’s Bakeries from 21 to 24 in Kabul. The bakeries now operate in 11 of the 17 districts of the city. More than 350 women, most of them widows, are producing over of 42,000 loaves of bread daily assisting over 8,530 destitute families.

A press release with more information is available.

Questions and Answers

Q: On the bus incident, I understand that the bus was carrying [inaudible]?
PIO: I think it was just a passenger bus.

Q cont: Do we know how many people were on the bus?
PIO: That figure we have not established yet, we just know the number of dead and the number of wounded.

Q: Does it seem clear that these were freshly laid mines on the main road?
PIO: Well, MACA is out there right now investigating and apparently the passengers knew the road was mined so they advised the driver to take a detour. That, [if they were freshly laid mines] we don’t have any information about.