Afghanistan. English.

The Commission on Human Rights,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and accepted humanitarian rules, as set forth in the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and the Additional Protocols thereto,

Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to fulfil the obligations they have freely undertaken under the various international instruments,

Recalling that Afghanistan is a party to several international human rights instruments and has obligations to report on their implementation,

Recalling also the relevant resolutions and decisions of the Commission on Human Rights, the relevant resolutions and presidential statements of the Security Council, the reports of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (S/2002/1299) and on women, peace and security (S/2002/1154) and the most recent resolution adopted by the Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling further the Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan pending the Re-establishment of Permanent Government Institutions, signed in Bonn on 5 December 2001 (the Bonn Agreement),

Welcoming the presidential decree providing for the establishment of the new Afghan National Army as a sign of the Transitional Authority's commitment to an ethnically balanced army, under civilian control, and stressing the importance of increased support for its early establishment and the ongoing demobilization programme, as well as the establishment of an effective police force,

Welcoming the efforts of the Transitional Authority to re-establish the rule of law throughout Afghanistan as well as the full protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and emphasizing that a safe environment, free from violence, discrimination and abuse, is essential for a viable and sustainable recovery and reconstruction process,

Reiterating the need for safety, security and free movement of all United Nations and associated personnel, as well as of all foreign and local personnel of humanitarian organizations,

Recognizing the fundamental role of an independent judiciary in ensuring the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, with a view to combating impunity,

1. Welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan (E/CN.4/2003/39) as well as the report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions on her visit to Afghanistan (E/CN.4/2003/3/Add.4) and takes note of the recommendations contained therein;

2. Also welcomes the ratification by Afghanistan of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and acknowledges its accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and urges the Transitional Authority to consider as a matter of priority acceding to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and ratifying Conventions No. 100 on the equal remuneration of men and women and No. 182 on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour of the International Labour Organization;

3. Further welcomes the establishment of the Independent Human Rights Commission and of the Judicial Commission, both of which will play a vital role in the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan;

4. Encourages the Transitional Authority and the international community to provide appropriate assistance to these Commissions so they may fulfil their mandates promptly, effectively, and in a manner consistent with Afghanistan's international human rights obligations;

5. Welcomes the establishment of the Constitutional Drafting Committee and the ongoing process to develop a new constitution, and stresses the importance of incorporating Afghanistan's international obligations in the new constitution, as well as the need to ensure the full participation of women in all processes leading up to the convening of the Constitutional Loya Jirga and in the Constitutional Loya Jirga itself;

6. Recognizes the steps already taken by the Transitional Authority to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms;

7. Recognizes that exposing violations of human rights, holding the perpetrators, including their accomplices, accountable, obtaining justice for their victims, as well as preserving historical records of such violations and restoring the dignity of victims through the acknowledgement and commemoration of their suffering, will guide future societies and are integral to the promotion and implementation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and to the prevention of future violations;

8. Notes with concern reports of violence perpetrated by Afghan elements against certain ethnic groups, internally displaced persons and refugees who have returned, as well as cases of arbitrary arrest and detention and attacks against women and girls;

9. Affirms the primary responsibility of the Transitional Authority, supported by the United Nations, to establish an environment of good governance, democracy and the rule of law as well as a Government that is broad-based, gender sensitive, multi-ethnic and fully representative of the Afghan people;

10. Calls upon the Transitional Authority, in application of the Bonn Agreement:

(a) To continue cooperating fully with all special rapporteurs and human rights mechanisms of the United Nations and to consider extending a standing invitation to them to visit the country;

(b) To respect fully Afghanistan's international human rights obligations without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, birth, descent or other status;

(c) To continue efforts to re-establish the rule of law, including by working with international donors to train law enforcement agencies to protect and uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to take steps to provide greater access to justice, and to implement measures to reform the penitentiary system in conformity with international standards;

(d) To declare a moratorium on the death penalty in the light of procedural and substantive flaws in the Afghan judicial system, bearing in mind the United Nations Safeguards, guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty;

(e) To investigate allegations of human rights violations, in particular against ethnic minorities, as well as against women and girls;

(f) To facilitate the voluntary and orderly return and reintegration, in safety and dignity, of Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons;

(g) To respect and protect the human rights of Afghan women and girls, including by providing adequate support to the Women's Ministry, protecting women from all forms of violence, ensuring equal access to education and health care, addressing the problem of their extra-legal detention and ensuring their full participation in all spheres of Afghan life;

(h) To cooperate effectively with the international community in the fight against drug trafficking;

11. Recognizes the huge burden shouldered by neighbouring countries, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, appreciates the efforts undertaken in these host countries to ease the plight of Afghan refugees and encourages them to continue cooperating with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees towards this end;

12. Welcomes the contributions of donors, urges them to fulfil promptly the funding commitments made at the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan, held in Tokyo on 21 and 22 January 2002, and invites them to provide additional resources beyond those pledged in Tokyo, and urges the international community to cooperate with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Advisory Group on Human Rights with a view to integrating human rights, including children's rights, and gender issues in donor-assisted programmes;

13. Commends the activities of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other United Nations agencies in assisting Afghanistan with the implementation of the human rights provisions of the Bonn Agreement, in particular by supporting the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission;

14. Urges the United Nations to provide assistance to the Transitional Authority in the organization and carrying out of a credible, free and fair electoral process in a secure environment for the elections due to take place by June 2004, and calls upon Member States to provide financial and technical support, including observers, for the process;

15. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To ensure that the post of Senior Gender Advisor in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is filled immediately and on a permanent basis, in order to mainstream a gender perspective in its activities;

(b) To appoint an independent expert for a period of one year to develop, in strict collaboration with the Transitional Authority, including the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, as well as with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, a programme of advisory services to ensure the full respect and protection of human rights and the promotion of the rule of law and to seek and receive information about and report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan in an effort to prevent human rights violations;

16. Invites the relevant bodies of the United Nations, in particular the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, within the framework of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan:

(a) To support the full implementation of the human rights provisions of the Bonn Agreement and the National Human Rights Programme for Afghanistan, including by ensuring that the promotion and protection of human rights are central to the purposes and functions of the mission;

(b) To continue to support the work of the Independent Human Rights Commission;

17. Invites the independent expert to be appointed by the Secretary-General to provide a report on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and on the achievements of the technical assistance in the field of human rights to the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights;

18. Invites the Special Rapporteur on violence against women to continue to review the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan and to submit a report to the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights.

---

Source:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
http://www.unhchr.ch

---

---

The World Factbook 2002
Afghanistan

Introduction

Afghanistan

Background:

Afghanistan's recent history is characterized by war and civil unrest. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 but was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anti-Communist mujahidin forces supplied and trained by the US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Fighting subsequently continued among the various mujahidin factions, giving rise to a state of warlordism that eventually spawned the Taliban. Backed by foreign sponsors, the Taliban developed as a political force and eventually seized power. The Taliban were able to capture most of the country, aside from Northern Alliance strongholds primarily in the northeast, until US and allied military action in support of the opposition following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks forced the group's downfall. In late 2001, major leaders from the Afghan opposition groups and diaspora met in Bonn, Germany and agreed on a plan for the formulation of a new government structure that resulted in the inauguration of Hamid KARZAI as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) on 22 December 2001. The AIA held a nationwide Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) in June 2002, and KARZAI was elected President by secret ballot of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA). The Transitional Authority has an 18-month mandate to hold a nationwide Loya Jirga to adopt a constitution and a 24-month mandate to hold nationwide elections. In December 2002, the TISA marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Taliban. In addition to occasionally violent political jockeying and ongoing military action to root out remaining terrorists and Taliban elements, the country suffers from enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land mines.

Geography

Afghanistan

Location:	Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Geographic coordinates:	33 00 N, 65 00 E
Map references:	Asia
Area:	total: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 647,500 sq km
Area - comparative:	slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:	total: 5,529 km border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Coastline:	0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:	none (landlocked)
Climate:	arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain:	mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Natural resources:	natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use:	arable land: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 87.65% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:	23,860 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:	damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Environment - current issues:	limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution
Environment - international agreements:	party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:	landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)

People

Afghanistan

Population:	27,755,775 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 42% (male 5,953,291; female 5,706,542) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 7,935,101; female 7,382,101) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 410,278; female 368,462) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate:	3.43% note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran (2002 est.)
Birth rate:	41.03 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate:	17.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate:	10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	144.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 46.6 years female: 45.85 years (2002 est.) male: 47.32 years
Total fertility rate:	5.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:	less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:	NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:	NA
Nationality:	noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups:	Pashtun 44%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 10%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 13%, Uzbek 8%
Religions:	Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Languages:	Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Literacy:	definition: age 15 and over can read and write male: 51% female: 21% (1999 est.) total population: 36%
People - note:	large numbers of Afghan refugees create burdens on neighboring states

Government

Afghanistan

Country name:	conventional long form: Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan
Government type:	transitional
Capital:	Kabul
Administrative divisions:	32 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, and Zabol
Independence:	19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
National holiday:	Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Constitution:	the Bonn Agreement called for a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) to be convened within 18 months of the establishment of the Transitional Authority to draft a new constitution for the country; the basis for the next constitution is the 1963/64 Constitution, according to the Bonn Agreement
Legal system:	the Bonn Agreement calls for a judicial commission to rebuild the justice system in accordance with Islamic principles, international standards, the rule of law, and Afghan legal traditions
Suffrage:	NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Executive branch:	note: following the Taliban's refusal to hand over Usama bin LADIN to the US for his suspected involvement in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, a US-led international coalition was formed; after several weeks of aerial bombardment by coalition forces and military action on the ground, including Afghan opposition forces, the Taliban was ousted from power on 17 November 2001; in December 2001 a number of prominent Afghans met under UN auspices in Bonn, Germany, to decide on a plan for governing the country; as a result, the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) - made up of 30 members, headed by a chairman - was inaugurated on 22 December 2001 with a six-month mandate to be followed by a two-year Transitional Authority (TA) after which elections are to be held; the structure of the follow-on TA was announced on 10 June 2002 when the Loya Jirga (grand assembly) convened establishing the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) which has an 18-month mandate to hold a Loya Jirga to adopt a constitution and a 24-month mandate to hold nationwide elections chief of state: President of the TISA, Hamad KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government head of government: President of the TISA, Hamad KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government cabinet: the 30-member TISA elections: NA
Legislative branch:	nonfunctioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch:	the Bonn Agreement calls for the establishment of a Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:	NA; note - political parties in Afghanistan are in flux and many prominent players have plans to create new parties; the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) is headed by President Hamid Karzai; the TISA is a coalition government formed of leaders from across the Afghan political spectrum; there are also several "independent" groups
Political pressure groups and leaders:	NA; note - ministries formed under the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) include former influential Afghans, diaspora members, and former political leaders
International organization participation:	AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC (suspended), IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:	chief of mission: ambassador Ishaq SHAHRYAR chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: 202-483-6487 consulate(s) general: New York telephone: 202-483-6410
Diplomatic representation from the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Patrick John FINN; note - embassy in Kabul reopened 16 December 2001 following closure in January 1989 embassy: Great Masood Road, Kabul mailing address: 6180 Kabul Place, Dulles, VA 20189-6180 telephone: [93] (2) 290002, 290005, 290154 FAX: 00932290153
Flag description:	three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green with a gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bold Islamic inscription above

Economy

Afghanistan

Economy - overview:	Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during two decades of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). During that conflict one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6 million refugees. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 20 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport; severe drought added to the nation's difficulties in 1998-2001. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care, problems exacerbated by military operations and political uncertainties. Inflation remains a serious problem. Following the US-led coalition war that led to the defeat of the Taliban in November 2001 and the formulation of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) resulting from the December 2001 Bonn Agreement, International efforts to rebuild Afghanistan were addressed at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan Reconstruction in January 2002, when $4.5 billion was collected for a trust fund to be administered by the World Bank. Priority areas for reconstruction include the construction of education, health, and sanitation facilities, enhancement of administrative capacity, the development of the agricultural sector, and the rebuilding of road, energy, and telecommunication links.
GDP:	purchasing power parity - $21 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:	NA%
GDP - per capita:	purchasing power parity - $800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:	agriculture: 60% industry: 20% services: 20% (1990 est.)
Population below poverty line:	NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	NA%
Labor force:	10 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:	agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:	NA%
Budget:	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries:	small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Electricity - production:	375 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source:	fossil fuel: 36% hydro: 64% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:	453.75 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports:	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports:	105 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products:	wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskin, and lambskin
Exports:	$1.2 billion (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities:	opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners:	Pakistan 32%, India 8%, Belgium 7%, Germany 5%, Russia 5%, UAE 4% (1999)
Imports:	$1.3 billion (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities:	capital goods, food and petroleum products; most consumer goods
Imports - partners:	Pakistan 19%, Japan 16%, Kenya 9%, South Korea 7%, India 6%, Turkmenistan 6% (1999)
Debt - external:	$5.5 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:	international pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in January 2002 reached $4.5 billion through 2006, with $1.8 billion allocated for 2002; according to a joint preliminary assessment conducted by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the UN Development Program, rebuilding Afghanistan will cost roughly $15 billion over the next ten years
Currency:	afghani (AFA)
Currency code:	AFA
Exchange rates:	afghanis per US dollar - 4,700 (January 2000), 4,750 (February 1999), 17,000 (December 1996), 7,000 (January 1995), 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991); note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rate, which was fixed at 50.600 afghanis to the dollar until 1996, when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar, and finally became fixed again at 3,000.00 per dollar in April 1996
Fiscal year:	21 March - 20 March

Communications

Afghanistan

Telephones - main lines in use:	29,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular:	NA
Telephone system:	general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service domestic: in 1997, telecommunications links were established between Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabul through satellite and microwave systems international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 7 (6 are inactive; the active station is in Kabul), FM 1, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (1999)
Radios:	167,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:	at least 10 (one government-run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 32 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998)
Televisions:	100,000 (1999)
Internet country code:	.af
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):	1 (2000)
Internet users:	NA

Transportation

Afghanistan

Railways:	total: 24.6 km broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya (2001)
Highways:	total: 21,000 km paved: 2,793 km unpaved: 18,207 km (1998 est.)
Waterways:	1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
Pipelines:	natural gas 180 km note: product pipelines from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been in disrepair and disuse for years (2002)
Ports and harbors:	Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports:	46 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways:	total: 10 10 over 3,047 m: 3 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 4 under 914 m: 1 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 2
Airports - with unpaved runways:	total: 37 35 under 914 m: 4 11 (2002) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 13 914 to 1,523 m: 14 4
Heliports:	5 (2002)

Military

Afghanistan

Military branches:	NA; note - the December 2001 Bonn Agreement calls for all militia forces to come under Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) control, but formation of a national army is likely to be a gradual process; Afghanistan's forces continue to be factionalized largely along ethnic lines
Military manpower - military age:	22 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability:	males age 15-49: 6,896,623 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:	males age 15-49: 3,696,379 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:	males: 252,869 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:	$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:	NA%

Transnational Issues

Afghanistan

Disputes - international:

close ties with Pashtuns in Pakistan make long border difficult to control

Illicit drugs:

world's largest producer of opium; cultivation of opium poppy - used to make heroin - expanded to 30,750 hectares in 2002, despite eradication; potential opium production of 1,278 tons; source of hashish; many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source of instability and some government groups profit from the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system

---

Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003

---

 

---

---

Home >> Select Country >> <<

Select Country

Index News Reports Law Factbook

	Association for Human Rights Defense International
	Barksdale Professional Center, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA. E-mail: hrd@4humanrights.org Fax: +1-413-473-4505
	Home : News : Law : Factbook : Links : Search
	DONATE