SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS JEAN ARNAULT DEPUTY

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFGHANISTAN

The Secretary-General today appointed Jean Arnault as his Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan.  Mr. Arnault, whose appointment at the level of Assistant Secretary-General comes into effect immediately, succeeds Francesc Vendrell who retired from the United Nations at the end of January.

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY SADDENED AT LOSS OF LIFE FROM AFGHAN EARTHQUAKE

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the loss of life as a result of a strong earthquake and severe landslides, which struck Afghanistan on Sunday,

OPIUM-POPPY CULTIVATION IN AFGHANISTAN AT ‘RELATIVELY HIGH LEVEL’, SURVEY CONFIRMS

(Reissued as received.)

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NIGEL FISHER AS DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS IN AFGHANISTAN

While on his first official visit to Kabul on 25 January 2002, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the appointment of Nigel Fisher as his Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan.

SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT FOR AFGHAN WOMEN EXPRESSED IN STATEMENT

BY COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

SECURITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION 1267 (1999)

CONCERNING AFGHANISTAN REMOVES FOUR ADDITIONAL ENTITIES FROM ITS LIST

AFGHANISTAN NEEDS $1.3 BILLION TO COVER IMMEDIATE NEEDS, $10 BILLION

OVER NEXT FIVE YEARS, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS TOKYO CONFERENCE

Following is the address by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan, held in Tokyo, 21 January 2002:

Donors Meet in Tokyo to Commit to Major Recovery Plan

for Conflict-Ravaged Afghanistan

Ministers from leading donor countries are meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on

21-22 January to make commitments to a major recovery plan for conflict-ravaged Afghanistan.

UNITED NATIONS PRESENTS INTERIM PROGRAMME TO BRING

IMMEDIATE RELIEF, RECOVERY TO AFGHANISTAN

International donors and development partners, gathering in Tokyo, Japan, 21-22 January to pledge funds to rebuild Afghanistan’s shattered infrastructure and economy, will have the opportunity to jump-start the country’s recovery by financing a unique interim strategy that will provide the long-suffering Afghan people with immediate benefits.

AFGHANISTAN OPIUM BAN AN IMPORTANT STEP IN GLOBAL DRUG CONTROL EFFORTS,

SAYS UN DRUG CONTROL OFFICE

(Reissued as received.)

VIENNA, 17 January (UN Information Service) -- The United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) says the ban on opium poppy cultivation announced this week in Afghanistan represents a very important step in international drug control efforts.