L'Afghanistan, un autre regard
The United Nations Office in Geneva, in
collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Geneva, has put
on display an exhibition of paintings and
photographs entitled “L'Afghanistan, un autre
regard" (Another look at Afghanistan) in the
“Galerie des pas perdus” in European headquarters of
United Nations in Geneva.
The inauguration ceremony that took place on 3
December 2009 was attended by Geneva-based
diplomatic corps, senior staff members of the United
Nations and the Afghan community.
In his inaugural speech, His Excellency Mr. Sergi
Ordzhonikisze, Director-General of the United
Nations European headquarters praised Ambassador
Tarzi and his team for their contribution to the UN
Cultural Activities Programme and believes that the
breath-taking images really do capture the essence
of Afghanistan landscapes and they provide another
look at Afghanistan that goes well beyond media
headlines.
His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Nanguyalai Tarzi
Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the UN in
Geneva also addressed the attendees and said:
Afghanistan has
a rich culture and thousands of years of
civilization. Afghanistan has always had a pivotal
role in the region. However, its image is being
portrayed in today’s media as a devastated, war-torn
country and center for poppy cultivation. He added
that this exhibition is a great opportunity to see
the peaceful and picturesque image of Afghanistan.
This unique
exhibition displays
paintings and photographs of Afghan artists like Mr.
Aziz Tarzi and Mr. Mamoun Etemadi; as well as French
artists Mr. Benrnard Ponty, who was also among the
speakers, and Mr. Emmanuel Bouyx whom they had
traveled to Afghanistan during the 1970s. The
exhibition
is designed to illustrate a peaceful image of
Afghanistan to the public.
The exhibition will remain open to the general
public until 15 January 2010. For further
information, please visit the
UNOG
site.
________
Afghan Minister of Commerce attended 7th
WTO Ministerial Conference
H.E Mr. Wahidullah Shahrani
at the WTO Conference
Minister Shahrani &
H.E
Frank Heemskerk,
Minister Shahrani &
H.E. Makhdoom Amin Fahim
H.E Mr. Wahidullah Shahrani Minister of Commerce and
Industry of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
headed the Afghan delegation to the 7th
WTO Ministerial Conference which was held from 30th
November to 2nd December 2009 in Geneva.
The conference was held under the theme of “The WTO,
the Multilateral Trading system and the Current
Global Economic Environment” and the need to
conclude the Doha Round of trade negotiations in
2010 was reaffirmed by Ministers of 180 Members and
observers of the WTO.
In his statement, Minister Shahrani stated that
“Afghanistan is still only an observer to the WTO,
but our commitment to become a member is strong and
we fully support the goals of the Doha Development
Round with its pledge to bring the needs and
concerns of the Least-Developed Countries to the
forefront of the negotiations.”
Highlighting some of the achievements towards closer
cooperation with the WTO and final membership of the
organization, the Minister added that “to fully
utilize the process we still require the support and
assistance from our international partners through
trade capacity building and Aid for Trade programs.”
In
the sideline of the conference, Minister Shahrani
met bilaterally with Ms. Patricia Francis, Executive
director of International Trade Centre (ITC), H.E
Frank Heemskerk,
Dutch
Minister
for Foreign
Trade,
and
H.E. Mr. Eenennaam
Netherlands’s Ambassador and Permanent
Representative in Geneva who is chairing Afghanistan
accession working party in the WTO.
Afghan Minister also met with H.E. Makhdoom Amin
Fahim Minister of Commerce of the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan.
It
is pertinent to mention that the Afghan delegation
also attended consultative Meeting of OIC Trade
Ministers, which was organized by the Islamic
Development Bank and the SAARC Ministerial Meeting,
on the eve of the conference.
