April 2011 Afghan News Latest News Select Develop- ment Indicators • Literacy rates will have tripled over the next decade • Since 2001 the GDP has tripled, making it on par with China in its double digit eco- nomic growth rate H.E. Foreign Minister Rassoul attends NATO-ISAF Meeting • In 2010, health facilities that H.E. Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul taken in preparation, such as ensuring provide TB con- attended the 2-day NATO-ISAF Foreign transparency and further increasing re- trol services Ministers Meeting in Berlin, Germany on gional cooperation, as well as the steps April 14th and 15th. still to be taken. H.E. also encouraged have increased international dedication to employment from 36 (in In his statement to those in attendance, the generation in Afghanistan through in- 2002) to 1061 second time he has addressed NATO as vestment and support in the agriculture, the Foreign Minister, H.E. Dr. Rassoul energy, mining, and education sectors. expressed gratitude for the contributions of NATO and its member states to Afghani- The full speech can be read at http:// stan since 2001, stating “We do realize, as www.afghanistan-un.org/2011/04/ Inside this issue: I am sure you do, that together we have statement-by-h-e-foreign-minister-dr- been through some hard times and have zalmai-rassoul-at-the-nato-isaf-foreign- Latest News Pg.1-４ had to overcome difficult challenges. ministers-meeting/ However, together we have also achieved Interview with tremendous successes.” (photo: H.E. Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Minis- Watanabe Yoi- Pg. ５ ter of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan chi H.E. Dr. Rassoul’s speech focused on the (left) and NATO Secretary General, An- security transition beginning in seven ders Fogh Rasmussen) Recipe corner Pg. ６ provinces and districts this summer, de- scribing the comprehensive steps being 1 Afghan News, AprilNovember 2011 1010 Afghans in Japan show solidarity The Afghan Red Crescent Society, with disaster victims through the initiative of its president, Highlights of school building, Ms. Fatima Gaillani, has collected openings Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin funds in Afghanistan to send to the Fatimie, Embassy officials, and Af- In Badghis, after one year of con- ghan residents of Japan displayed struction, a new building with six th their solidarity with the victims of victims of March 11 ’s earthquake classrooms and two administrative March 11th’s tragic Tohoku earth- and tsunami. rooms have been opened for a quake and tsunami through the or- girl’s elementary school in the ganization of a council dedicated to President Gaillani, who immediately Qadis district. supporting the survivors. spoke with Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie following the inci- In Balkh, a new 24-classroom, The council members, which in- dences, and her staff and volunteers, eight-administrative room building cludes Mr. Jafar Ahmadyar, who were generously supported by many for a girl’s high school in the Nahri heads the council, Mr. Haji Hussein who have deeply appreciated Japa- Shahi district has been opened. as treasurer, and Mr. Amin Kohi nese support to improving Afghani- Also, in Balkh, a new 16- serving as auditor, were decided stan. classroom, eight administrative upon in a meeting of more than 20 room building for Fatima Alzahra Conference on the Creation of representatives, encompassing all Middle School in Mazar-e Shariff ethnicities and groups in Afghani- Safe Agricultural and Animal is to be built over the next year. stan. Products Held in Kabul In Kunduz, construction work on The council was able to gather two schools, one with 8 classrooms 1,841,000 yen in funds, with which, and the other with 16 classrooms, at the request of the prefactural gov- have been completed near Kunduz ernment of Ibaraki, will be used to city. In addition, a school building purchase gas stoves and other sup- for Khaja Pastah Middle School in plies for evacuees from Fukushima Khanabad district will be built over who will live in temporary housing a period of six months. Once com- in Ibaraki. The council and Embassy pleted, it will have eight class- officials will personally deliver rooms and four administrative The Ministry of Agriculture and irri- these items to the evacuees. rooms. gation organized the first conference National Postal Code Established Red Crescent Society Collects on the creation of a system to ensure Funds for Victims of Japanese the safety of food and plant and ani- A national postal code has been Disasters established. The system’s base is mal products. The conference, which the provincial divisions, numbered lasted 3 days, brought together over 10 to 43; these are then further 100 specialists and experts in agri- subdivided at the city/district level culture and animal husbandry from to further create specific postal codes. New postal branches are across the country to discus how to being planned around the nation to ensure the of agriculture and animal take advantage of this strengthened system. 2 Afghan News, April 2011 Two New Maternity Hospitals “On Farm water management program to facilitate greater self- program” to play vital role Opened in Wardak sufficiency. The ministry also built a new women’s gym and has plans The “On Farm Water Management to build 16 women’s gardens Program” has been established to around Kabul city and a number of assist with major irrigation work in other provinces. Nangarhar, Kabul, Balkh, Herat, and Bamiyan provinces, the results of which will improve 50,000 hec- Silk Track Railway to connect tares and help 120,000 farming Afghanistan to China, Europe families by increasing harvests and irrigated lands by 10% each. Two new one-storey, 30-bed mater- Land-owners and other beneficiar- nity hospitals were recently opened ies cover 10% of the costs, labor, in the Wardak province after 16 and/or materials. The project will months of construction with the as- also choose and strengthen mirabs sistance of the Bayat Foundation. (those people responsible for local water management), by teaching The Bibi Khairi Gul hospital was new technologies and techniques to built in Hessa Dowom and the Shirin save water and ensure its fair distri- Afghanistan is working with China Taj Hospital was built in the Tagaab bution. and a number of other nations to Village; both of these hospitals’ cor- create the “Silk Track” railway, nerstones were laid under the then Five demonstration farms will be Minister of Public Health, now Am- built to show farmers and mirab- which like the old Silk Road will bassador to Japan, Sayed M. Amin members how to save water using create a link between Europe and Fatimie. These specific locations the latest technology. Work with the Far East. The track will facili- were chosen because they are con- this technology has already begun, tate improved transport and trade. sidered to have the highest maternal and will be completed within the The track will move from Afghani- mortality rates. Both hospitals fea- next four years. stan to Europe in one direction, ture operating rooms, delivery passing through Iran and Turkey; rooms, post-op recovery rooms, Work in Kabul and Nangarhar pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and provinces is now in progress, and and in the other to China, passing other facilities. soon other provinces will follow. through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Already twelve irrigation associa- Orchards Planted in Samangan tions have been established; eight in Kabul and four in Nangarhar Media House Established in province. This program is sup- Balkh ported by the World Bank. A media house has been built in Women’s Vocational Training Balkh with the aim of supporting Programs Launched reporters, especially those in the northern provinces, through such initiatives as creating better coordi- nation between reporters and ad- dressing other problems that they may face. Tens of new almond, apple, apricot, and grape orchards have been planted The “Afghanistan Media House” is in an 819-acre area in the Roy Do The Ministry of Women’s Affairs, made up of seven committees in- Aab and Hazrat Sultan districts of with the cooperation of Italian Co- cluding the cultural, social, politi- Samangan province. The grafted sap- operation Agency, has launched cal, monitoring and external, finan- lings imported from Kabul, Maidan- training programs for women in cial, and administrative sections. Wardak and Balkh provinces and dis- the fields of carpentry, literacy, tributed to local farmers, along with 3 computer skills, recitation of the kilograms of grape and vegetable Holy Quran, and electrical engi- seeds and 20 kilograms of fertilizer. neering as a part of a ten-year 3 Afghan News, April 2011 Development Progresses Nation- A water supply network has been Giant Natural Arch Found wide completed after one-year in the Ali Abad district of Balkh province, giv- In Mehterlam, Laghman, work has ing 750 rural families access to safe been completed on a 120-meter re- drinking water. This network con- taining wall, protecting 500 families tains one well, two water storage from flooding; a social center has units with a capacity of 60,000 liters, also been built in the area. and the installation of a generator and related equipment. A stretch of 10.78 kilometers of Ghor street will be paved with fund- Construction projects are underway ing provided by Japan. in Paktika to expand the province's current 150 miles of paved roads. Eight development projects have The roads include a 45 degree- been completed in the Bagrami dis- inclined path up a central mountain, trict of the Kabul province, includ- and another highway passing into ing the repair and gravelling of 5000 Pakistan via one of the four border Recently researchers found in the meters of road, the construction of crossings.