In Logar Province in the central region 41 out of 60 district representatives (68 per cent) were registered when the registration exercise finished on 2 October. In Laghman Province in the East the process also went smoothly without any incident with some 200 out 305 (65 per cent) delegates registering to vote. Public education exercises have preceded all the registration exercises so far. Civic education material has been distributed, radio stations used to disseminate information where available and the CLJ process as well as the presidential decree on the process explained to audiences in provincial gatherings prior to the registration.

We will continue to update you with figures as we receive them.

For the last several months there have been sporadic but ongoing conflicts between factions loyal to the current (Wahdat-Mohaqiq) and the former (Whadat-Kazimi) district governors of the district. In July, local elders and the governors signed an agreement in support of local disarmament and, towards the end of August, the Security Commission pursued plans to implement the agreement. While all parties (Harakat-e-Islami, Wahdat-Mohaqiq, and Wahdat-Kazimi) agreed to commence the disarmament process on 31 August, last minute disputes amongst the three factions forced a delay of the mission. All parties finally departed for Balkhab yesterday.

Given the remoteness of the area the delegation has yet to arrive at the location. We will keep you updated on developments. Again please note that any disarmament that takes place under the auspices of the Security Commission is not part of the National DDR programme, which has been planned.

We have embargoed copies of the messages by UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and the UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Anna Tibaijuka, for World Habitat Day. These messages are embargoed until tomorrow.

MRRD, UN HABITAT and the community of widow-headed households jointly built these houses. Each family was assisted with a material package worth US$350. Last year UN HABITAT built 1100 houses in the same district as there were many widows unable to rebuild their homes. These projects are all funded by the United Nations Development programme.

Similar projects in partnership with the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MUDH) and various municipalities are taking place in other locations in the country aimed at addressing the housing needs of the most vulnerable particularly widows. In Kabul 900 more houses are under constructions while 1000 homes are being constructed each in the cities of Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar and Jalalabad.

We have Lalith Lankatilleke of HABITAT here to answer any questions you may have.

The team will examine the preparations so far for the voter registration exercise which is due to begin in eight cities across the country on 1 December this year. They will provide recommendations following their assessment and will also offer guidelines for various electoral scenarios for 2004.

During their 4-6 week mission, the team will visit regions outside of Kabul and meet key UNAMA staff as well as stakeholders outside the UN system.

The focus of this year's report is adolescent reproductive health.

There is a media advisory with more information available including how to access the report in advance on-line. We also have a limited number of copies of the report available in advance - but it is strictly embargoed until 8 October.

In his message for the day the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, will say natural hazards are a part of life but hazards only become disasters when people's lives and livelihoods are swept away. He will say that it is well within our power to reduce the vulnerability of communities to such disasters through better decision-making, improved planning, effective risk management, innovation in development and environmental protection activities.

We have embargoed copies of the Secretary-General's message available for you.

UNHCR Spokesperson, Maki Shinohara

What is particularly alarming is that the assailants reportedly intended to gather and kill the demining group, but were distracted only by the third DAFA vehicle which started up its engine, when the staff in the vehicle realized what was happening.

The Kandahar authorities immediately acted upon the report of the incident and sent armed guards in 10 vehicles to the scene. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, but the assailants' vehicle reportedly drove off into the mountains.

Zhare Dasht hosts some 40,000 displaced Afghans. The settlement itself is guarded by armed guards, but following this incident, aid workers will likely have to resort to armed escorts to and from Zhare Dasht settlement.

We condemn with strongest possible terms such cowardly acts of attacking Afghan aid workers who are working hard to help the Afghan people. The all too frequent security incidents frustrate assistance activities, but we will continue to help those in need to the best of our ability.

The meeting was held after UNHCR's annual Executive Committee meeting, with participation of Mr. Ahmad Hosseini, advisor to Iran's Interior Minister and head of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs (BAFIA) and Afghan Deputy Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Mr. Mohammad Ghiaci, as well as UNHCR's two heads of operations in Afghanistan and Iran.

The three parties have agreed to focus on resolving obstacles to return, encourage go-and-discuss visits and prioritize potential areas of return of Afghan refugees from Iran. Some of the obstacles to return mentioned during the discussion were difficulties in reintegration, slow pace of reconstruction in Afghanistan as well as security problems in certain parts of the country.

The participants reaffirmed their commitment to assist the voluntary return of refugees while pointing to the need for increased commitments from the donor community to the reintegration programmes in Afghanistan.

Since the start of the voluntary repatriation program in March 2002, nearly 600,000 Afghans have returned from Iran. UNHCR estimates that there are 1.1 million Afghan refugees in Iran.

UNICEF, Communication Officer, Edward Carwardine

During her visit to the nation's capital, Bellamy will tour the newly refurbished Malalai Maternity Hospital to see how physical rehabilitation, combined with training for midwives and other medical staff, has improved prospects for mothers and newborns in Afghanistan's largest maternity facility.

The UNICEF chief will also visit a girls' school in west Kabul, an area which suffered the heaviest fighting in the city during the last 23 years of civil strife, and which is now home to thousands of families returning from overseas.

Other key stops during Bellamy's visit will be the first National Cold Room for vaccine storage, and an income-generation programme run by the Ministry of Women's Affairs. She will also meet with key Cabinet members to review progress made, and listen to outstanding needs.

Bellamy will place particular emphasis on maternal health and education. Despite recent efforts to improve maternal health care in Afghanistan, the country still reports one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. One woman is estimated to die every 20 minutes in Afghanistan as a result of complications in pregnancy.

Progress in girls' education has been one of the key successes of the Transitional Government in Afghanistan, with an increase of 37 per cent in the number of girls attending school over the last twelve months. One million girls are now enrolled in Afghanistan's schools. However Bellamy is expected to call upon the international community to renew its commitment to the quality of education, especially in areas such as teacher training, curriculum development and physical school infrastructure