Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan Afghan News October 2010 October COP 10 Themed Latest News facts Afghanistan’s plant Peace Jirga lays seeds for success and animal diversity many positive signs that more are ready to 118 – 147 species of enter into talks to facilitate their return to mammals peace. The peace council will play a cru- cial role in this regard. 472 – 510 species of birds Foreign Minister Rassoul Addresses UN Security Council 92 – 112 s pecies of reptiles H.E. Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Minister of For- eign Affairs of the Afghanistan, addressed 6 – 8 species of an open-debate of the UN Security Council amphibians on the “Situation in Afghanistan.” 101 – 139 species of H.E. Foreign Minister Rassoul first dis- fish As part of H.E. President Hamid Kar- cussed the recent parliamentary elections, zai’s peace and reconciliation plan to noting that millions of Afghans from all 245 species of welcome our unsatisfied brothers back segments of society took part in the elec- butterflies to the political and peace processes, the tions, adding: “The unprecedented number inaugural session of the High Council of young candidates and voters illustrates 3500 – 4000 species of for Peace began on October 7th in Ka- the degree to which democracy is taking vascular plants bul. root in Afghan society. Further, the sig- nificant increase in women’s participation In his opening speech, H.E. the presi- is testament to the further empowerment of Inside this issue: dent spoke of the link between stability women in Afghan political life.” and Afghanistan's reconstruction and Latest News 1-4 development. H.E. discussed Afghanistan’s plans to take on a greater leadership role in all areas in Special 4-5 The 68-member peace council, which Interview the coming years, including security, de- includes past Afghan presidents, civil- velopment, and governance. On security ian and religious leaders, and former he said Afghanistan would strive to build Upcoming 5 Taliban officials, chose former Presi- events the size, capacity, and operational capabil- dent Burhanuddin Rabbani as its chair- ity of its security forces “for taking the man. lead role in combat operations in volatile Afghan 6 Recipe provinces by 2011, and meeting the na- Those rejoining society are called upon tion’s security obligations independently to renounce violence and links with ter- by 2014, with international forces offering Language 7 rorist organizations, and to accept the back-up support.” Lesson constitution. Already thousands have returned to the peace process and over H.E. Foreign Minister Rassoul noted that the past several years, there have been terrorism posed a serious threat to the se- 1 Afghan News, October 2010 curity and stability of the region and Access to health services and imple- Organization (WHO), and the UN beyond, and expressed concern about menting of child vaccination are the Children’s Fund (UNICEF). the “continued presence of safe- main reasons for the improved rates. havens and sanctuaries in our region Nonetheless, these areas will still During the campaign, immuniza- where terrorists receive recruitment, receive dedicated efforts to be fur- tion teams visited bus stops, training and logistical support.” ther reduced. mosques, marketplaces and also made house-to-house stops, to H.E. FM Rassoul meets with the Among the initiatives to further reach the most children possible. “Group of Friends of Afghanistan” bring down these rates, MoPH, UNI- For the first time, a de-worming CEF, and the Alliance for Vaccines initiative was run simultaneously; H.E. Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Minister of and Immunization, which is a global targeting around 4.6 million chil- Foreign Affairs of the Afghanistan health partnership between the pri- dren aged between two and five. met on October 2nd with the “Group vate and public sectors, agreed to of Friends of Afghanistan,” a collec- implement two rotavirus vaccines Four new petroleum wells open tion of nations that meet periodically within next four years and it will in Sar-e Pul in New York to the exchange views start in 2012 to rescue lives of thou- on Afghanistan’s stabilization efforts. sands children. Four new petroleum wells were Member-states include the United recently opened by the Ministry of States, Australia, France, Japan, Ger- Midwives graduate in Badakhshan Mines in the Angot area of Sar-E many, Denmark, Norway, Italy and Pul province. The wells are ex- the United Kingdom. H.E. the Minis- Twenty-three trained midwives pected to yield about 800 barrels of ter briefed the gathering on the recent graduated on October 11th from the crude oil daily. A preliminary sur- parliamentary elections, Afghani- Badakshan Community Midwifery vey found that there are likely de- stan’s reintegration and reconciliation Education School, at a ceremony posits of up to 1.8 billion barrels of initiative, the transition strategy and that was attended by Government oil in the north of the country. preparation for the up-coming NATO health officials and donor agencies’ Summit in Lisbon, at which Afghani- representatives. This was the fourth Education projects progress stan will be high on the agenda. group of students to complete the 18 -month course. Schools continue to be built na- Child, maternal mortality rate de- tionwide, allowing for ever- creases The object of the program is to train increasing amount of children to and recruit community midwives in receive education. remote and rural areas and to im- prove the skills and competence of The foundations for a school were the midwifery education program in laid in Heart province in a cere- the province. Among the new skills mony attended by local officials, learned were pregnancy period and townspeople, and teachers. post-delivery health care, safe- delivery techniques and how to deal Construction on a new high school with complications, nutrition and in Balkh province, which will have breast feeding, and family planning. over 25 rooms, has begun and The national child and maternal mor- Indicators now show a 50% reduc- looks to be completed in six tality rates have been decreasing tion in the maternal mortality rate in months. since 2001. Dr. Suraya Dalil, acting Badakhshan over previous years Minister of Public Health (MoPH), Work began in Jowzjan for a spa- announced in a joint Press Confer- cious two story girls’ school, com- ence with representatives of WHO Initiative to combat polio and plete with a computer lab. The and UNICEF in Kabul that maternal worm infestation launched school is supported by Turkey. mortality has been reduced from 1,600 out of 100,000 nine years ago Nearly 8 million children were vac- Earlier this month, a school for to 1,400 today, and the children un- cinated against polio during the boys and girls was finished in rd der 5-years of age mortality rate has week of October 3 by more than Kunar. This two story building has been reduced from 257 to 161 annu- 22,000 immunization teams nation- 14 rooms and its electricity is self- ally. wide in a program set up by the Min- sustaining through the use of solar istry of Health, the UN World Health 2 Afghan News, October 2010 panels. ing trade with neighboring Uzbeki- Kabul’s old neighborhood district of stan. Murad Khane, famous for its elegant Marjah's local government also mud-brick mansions, elaborate helped open four new schools in Afghan National Army and Turk- carved-wood lattices, and shady time for the new school year. Among ish defense forces begin joint courtyards is being renovated. Began the four, Marjah High School opened training in 2006 in a project funded largely its doors for the first time in more by private international donors, it is than six years, with about 150 boys As part of a partnership between Af- part of a $25 million effort by the and girls registering on the first day. ghan and Turkish defense forces, Kabul-based Turquoise Mountain about 100 soldiers from the Afghan project founded by Prince Charles of Technical and Professional Learn- National Army arrived in Turkey on Wales and Rory Stewart, author of ing Institute to be built in Jala- September 17th to participate in a the best-selling book "The Places In labad month-long commando basic train- Between." ing course. The course covers ad- Work has begun in Jalalabad on a vanced training in special operations, new 1,200-student Technical and urban warfare tactics, marksmanship Professional Learning Institute and other combat tactics. through the Ministry of Education. The institute will provide students Kandahar power capability to be with technical and vocational train- enhanced ing. The first of two 10-megawatt power Hundreds of thousands to benefit plants being built for Kandahar city from agricultural subsidies is scheduled to be operational by December. The plant is expected to 260,000 small commercial farmers, provide power to up to 15,000 Many of the buildings being reno- of which many are women, will be homes. Provincial officials intend to vated, such as the Peacock House, provided with subsidized access to use the power to expand essential named for the motif of peacocks that 13,000 metric tons of certified wheat services and create jobs in conjunc- appears on its carved wood façade, seed varieties and nearly 40,000 tion with the planned business expo date back to the 1920s. metric tons of basic fertilizer. Cou- there this year. pled with the technical advice to be One aspect of the restoration work provided, forecasts call for a possi- AIB and Citigroup enter into calls for the creation of a fifteen- bility of harvesting more than banking agreement building campus for the Institute of 300,000 metric tons of wheat as a Afghan Arts and Architecture.