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Ghani addresses special UN session on fight against COVID-19

Published

6 years ago

December 4, 2020

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday evening addressed the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in Response to the Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 Pandemic and said government moved quickly to contain the virus after the first case was reported in Herat in February.

“The COVID 19 pandemic came to Afghanistan at the end of February via Herat province, which shares a border with Iran.

“We moved quickly in anticipation that the virus would hit us hard. After analysis and consultation with diverse groups across Afghan society, we planned the response to the pandemic according to five phases of the crisis—acknowledgement, diffusion, adversity, relief and recovery,” Ghani said adding that the virus peaked in June.

He said that because of Afghanistan’s quick response, the country managed to maintain relatively low mortality rates. “We managed our response to not jeopardize livelihoods in the long-term or increase already high levels of poverty and food insecurity.”

He said Afghanistan had learned a number of lessons through this – firstly that “the vast scale of the disruptive and destructive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is becoming clearer by the day.”

He said short-term impacts were seen almost immediately which included the loss of lives, the loss of jobs, and the downturn in the economy.

“But the medium to long-term impacts, we have not yet fully grasped. So, while we cope with the immediate impact, we need to look ahead and prepare for the long-term effects,” he said.

The second lesson learned was that the impact of the pandemic has been global and that while the response has been mostly national, “we have been unable, as an international community, to fully take advantage of the interconnected nature of our work to combat the disease.”

He pointed out that the world had an opportunity to respond to the pandemic with a level of unity and solidarity but instead countries experienced divisions.

He said a global focal point would have made the response more effective and coordinated, and global resources should have been mobilized on a larger scale.

The third lesson learned was that the pandemic has not been a leveler as expected; but instead, it has exacerbated existing gaps and inequalities across developed and developing nations.

“Countries in special situations have been especially hard hit. For example, we as a poor country, like many others around the globe, were not able to design and implement effective stimulus packages.

“We also had to be very careful in instituting lockdowns to avoid inflicting serious damage on our economy and peoples’ livelihoods, which could have inflicted more suffering than the virus itself,” he said.

Ghani also pointed out that this will continue even once a vaccine becomes available, because administering a vaccine requires capabilities and infrastructure that poor countries do not have.

“The role of multilateral organizations in the joint distribution of the vaccine will be critical. Our call for the vaccine to be a global public good must be loud and clear.” he said.

Ghani also said that Afghanistan is now facing its second wave and with little understanding of how cold weather will affect the nature of the pandemic.

He said he hopes that the international community will be able to draw from the lessons learned through this second wave and that a clear, phased approach needs to be designed and replicated nationally, regionally and globally.

He did say that the world is in a better position now to plan to ensure food security and basic human security in the face of subsequent waves.

“We must make sure that supply chains that were disrupted during the first wave are either restored or alternatives put in place to ensure basic needs are met.”

He also said the pandemic has transformed the way the world does business and the way everyone now lives.

“But it’s not all negative. COVID pushed the digitalization of the world at a speed that was inconceivable. And moving into subsequent waves of the pandemic, we need to embrace digital technology to further a global dialogue around policy, accessing and distributing the vaccine. To take advantage of these technologies, more must, however, be done to address the digital divide.”

“We will not be able to return to our pre-pandemic ways of communicating and governing. The pandemic opened up new possibilities for coordination and cooperation; for example, tele-medicine and distance learning. We need to embrace this change.”

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Afghan minister says ‘outsiders’ should not claim to support Afghanistan’s independence

The meeting was attended by governors of Sar-e-Pul and Samangan provinces, local officials, religious scholars, and a number of local residents.

Published

15 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Ariana News

Minister of Borders, Ethnic Affairs and Tribes Noorullah Noori has said that those who interfered in Afghanistan over the past twenty years should now not claim to support a “free and independent Afghanistan.”

According to a statement, Noori made the remarks during a public gathering titled “Unity and Coordination with the People” held in the Kohistanat district of northern Sar-e-Pul province, during his official visit to the province.

The meeting was attended by governors of Sar-e-Pul and Samangan provinces, local officials, religious scholars, and a number of local residents.

Noori stated that under the Islamic system, the beliefs, history, freedom, and values of the Afghan people are protected and safeguarded. He added that those who, over the past twenty years, tested the Afghan people for their own “malicious objectives” should not now claim to support Afghanistan’s independence.

He further emphasized that the people of Afghanistan are not aligned with the Islamic Emirate out of compulsion, but rather support the Islamic system based on faith, ideology, culture, and political belief.

Participants of the gathering also stressed the importance of strengthening the Islamic system and enhancing national unity. They stated that the current system enjoys domestic legitimacy among the Afghan people and that those plotting against it are not accepted by society.

They further added that they will continue to defend the existing system through unity and solidarity and will not allow insecurity or external interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

International Sports

FIFA World Cup group stage wraps up; moves into high-stakes knock out round

With the safety net of the group stage now gone, every match will produce either jubilation or heartbreak.

Published

15 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Ariana News

The group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 has officially concluded, with the tournament now shifting into the high-stakes knockout round where every match becomes do-or-die.

The Round of 32 gets underway today, with one of the tournament’s biggest surprise stories taking centre stage as South Africa face co-hosts Canada at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

While traditional football powerhouses such as Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, England and the Netherlands safely progressed to the knockout phase, this year’s expanded 48-team tournament has also produced one of African football’s greatest World Cup campaigns.

For the first time in tournament history, nine African nations have qualified for the knockout rounds, underlining the continent’s growing strength on football’s biggest stage.

Morocco once again demonstrated why they remain one of Africa’s elite sides, finishing second behind Brazil in Group C with seven points after an impressive campaign that included a draw against the five-time world champions.

Ghana also lived up to expectations by advancing from a difficult Group L, while Senegal secured qualification from Group I after another composed and disciplined tournament.

However, the biggest headlines belonged to Africa’s emerging football nations.

South Africa completed one of the stories of the tournament by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time after defeating South Korea 1-0 in a dramatic final group match. Bafana Bafana, who were given little chance of progressing before the competition began, have become one of the World Cup’s surprise packages.

Ivory Coast also reached the last 32 for the first time after recovering from defeat to Germany with convincing victories over Ecuador and Curaçao.

Egypt booked their place after earning a crucial draw against Iran, while Algeria secured qualification following an entertaining 3-3 draw with Austria.

Cape Verde has perhaps captured the imagination of football fans more than any other African nation. The island nation remained unbeaten through the group stage, earning draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to advance in their World Cup debut knockout appearance. Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha produced a series of memorable performances, including a standout display against Spain.

The Democratic Republic of Congo also made history, recording their first-ever World Cup victory with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan to secure a place in the knockout rounds.

Africa’s representatives now face a daunting but exciting set of Round of 32 fixtures. South Africa meet Canada in the opening knockout match on Sunday, Morocco take on the Netherlands, Ghana face Colombia, Ivory Coast battle Norway, DR Congo play England, Senegal meet Belgium, Algeria face Switzerland, Egypt take on Australia, and Cape Verde will test themselves against defending champions Argentina.

The knockout stage also features an impressive mix of football’s traditional heavyweights and emerging nations. Hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States all advanced, alongside Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, England, Belgium, Portugal, Colombia, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Paraguay, Ecuador, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Morocco.

With the safety net of the group stage now gone, every match will produce either jubilation or heartbreak. For Africa, however, the tournament has already become one to remember. Nine nations remain in contention, carrying not only their own ambitions but the hopes of an entire continent into the World Cup’s decisive rounds.

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) daily to watch this exciting event unfold as ATN has the exclusive rights to broadcast the event across the country live.

Football fans are encouraged to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ social media pages for updates, latest stats and match schedules so as not to miss out on the action.

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Afghanistan remains central to SCO–UN talks in New York Consultations

According to the SCO Secretariat, the meeting was held on June 26 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where both sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues related to mutual cooperation.

Published

16 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Ariana News

The Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) says that Afghanistan and efforts to ensure stability in the country were among the key topics discussed during the fourth round of consultations with the United Nations Secretariat.

The United Nations delegation provided updates on its work under the “Climate, Peace and Security” agenda, ongoing efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, and support for Central Asian countries in maintaining sustainable peace and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, the SCO Secretariat briefed the UN side on preparations for the upcoming Bishkek Summit, the outcomes of ministerial meetings held under Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship, and progress on institutional reforms within the organization.

The SCO Secretariat added that the consultations were conducted in a constructive atmosphere.