Banotti to visit Pakistan and Afghanistan

The Irish Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations is to pay a 10-day visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Fine Gael MEP Mary Banotti leaves tomorrow to observe the work being carried out by the UN with Afghan girls and women.

Banotti is expecting the work being done to improve the lot of women and young girls who suffered under the Taliban regime.

The visit is being co-ordinated by the Irish Family Planning Association, which is the UNFPA’s partner in Ireland.

"Poverty, two decades of war and the anti-women policies of the Taliban regime have practically eradicated women’s health in the country, particularly in rural areas," said Ms Banotti.

"As a result, the maternal mortality rate is the second highest in the world, followed only by Sierra Leone."

During her 10-day visit, Ms Banotti will visits maternal facilities in Kabul, refugee camps in Pakistan and the Khyer pass, which is the entry point for most Afghan refugees into Pakistan.