Special envoy on children on week-long visit

Olara Otunnu, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative for children and armed conflict, is in Afghanistan this week to highlight the plight of the country's youth, who have been caught in the crossfire of more than 20 years of war.

Speaking on his arrival in the capital, Kabul, on Sunday, Otunnu said: "I am here to see for myself, to witness and assess firsthand the impact of this period on children, and to see what is being done to respond to this challenge by the government of Afghanistan, by local civil society and NGOs and, of course, by United Nations agencies and international NGOs who are here to help the Afghan people.

"I am here to help ensure that together the appropriate focus is placed on the concerns and needs of children and that they will be central in any programme of reconstruction, rebuilding and healing."

He said Afghanistan's children had paid a high price during the war years, with official statistics indicating that over one million were orphaned, about two million had been forced to flee their homes and about 35,000 had become victims of landmines.

In addition, children's deprivation of education, especially girls, had forced many of them onto the streets and to work, he said. Others were enticed or forced to take up arms.

"It is no accident that in view of all these factors, Afghanistan remains one of the countries with the highest infant mortality rates anywhere in the world. I believe that something in the range of 25 percent of the children die below the age of five and that is exceedingly high," Otunnu said, adding that 50 percent of children also suffered from varying degrees of malnutrition.

Otunnu is expected to hold talks with government and NGOs delegations in the capital, as well as visit the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif and the southern city of Kandahar.