UN-HABITAT in Afghanistan Chronology UN-HABITAT activities Needs Through conflict and war, UN-HABITAT has continued to serve the people of Afghanistan without interruption. The establishment of an internationally recognised government in Afghanistan has given millions of Afghans hope for peace and prosperity. An estimated 5 million people who fled the country are now returning home. But more than 2 million houses were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, while all basic health and education facilities ceased functioning. Although much work has been done to develop a comprehensive national development framework, considerable resources are needed to translate the framework into tangible improvements in the quality of life of Afghan citizens.     Chronology   October 2001: Fall of the Taliban regime December 2001: Bonn Accord signed presenting political roadmap for Afghan Interim Administration January 2002: Tokyo Conference pledges US$4.5 billion for reconstruction June 2002: Loya Jirga selects Hamid Karzai as head of Afghan Transitional Authority March 2003: First official Government budget presented at Afghanistan Development Forum January 2004: President Hamid Karzai signs the new constitution, paving the way for elections planned this year.   Activities   National Solidarity Programme: supporting the overall design, and implementation in five provinces, of the government’s flagship community development programme. Sanitation and Solid Waste Management in four cities with support from the European Union. Ogata Initiative Shelter and Water Supply projects in three cities with support from Japan. Emergency Municipal Public Works Programme in six cities with government funding; Shomali Plains Shelter Recovery: supported the reconstruction of housing for widows with funding under the Area-Based Programme.   Needs   Afghanistan’s development needs are varied and extensive. Around the time the present government assumed power, only one-third of Afghan children were enrolled in schools, more than 70 per cent of the population was malnourished, and an estimated 15,000 women died every year from pregnancy-related causes. Further, there were five million Afghans as refugees, another 920,000 internally displaced and over 800,000 disabled. The extent of the unmet basic needs is so great that an average Afghan cannot expect to survive beyond a mere 45 years, as compared to 63 years for the region.     Mortality Rate   Human Development 2003 Life Expectancy (Years) Per 1000 births Under 5 Undernourished (of total population) Afghanistan 43 165 257 70 South Asia 63 69 95 24 (Period) (2000-2005) (2001) (2001) (1998/2000 average) Source Human Development Report 2003 (all figures rounded to nearest integer)