Montreal – Afghanistan participated at the opening of 11 th United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Montreal on Monday.

The Afghan delegation was headed by H.E. Omar Samad, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Canada. More than 10,000 experts from 180 countries are in Montreal in the largest such gathering as part of the Framework Convention on Climate Control since the Kyoto protocol was signed in 1997 by 140 nations.

Ottawa – The Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada expresses its condolences to the family of a Canadian soldier who was killed in a road accident in Southern Afghanistan on Thursday.

“We are sad to hear that Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield of Victoria, B.C. lost his life in a road accident while on duty in Southern Afghanistan,” said Afghanistan’s Ambassador, Omar Samad.

The Ambassador of Afghanistan to Canada, Omar Samad, met with representatives of the Afghan community in British Columbia on Friday, November 18, and briefed them on developments in Afghanistan, as well as Canada’s role in the country’s reconstruction, security sector, and overall democratization process.

Ambassador Samad told the large audience of Afghans gathered in an auditorium of the University of British Columbia in downtown Vancouver that their homeland’s suffering came to an end in 2001 after more than 23 years of conflict and that the country’s rebuilding efforts was underway in all spheres. “The Afghan people are united in their desire to rebuild their country’s institutions and infrastructure, promote democracy and human rights, and apply the rule of law with the generous help that has been pledged by the international community,” he said.

His Excellency Omar SAMAD, the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Canada will visit Vancouver, B.C, on November 18. This is the first visit by an Afghan envoy to British Columbia.

Afghan-Canadian diplomatic relations were re-established in 2002 following the fall of the Taliban militia from power. More than 700 Canadian troops currently serve in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force under NATO umbrella. Canada has started to establish a presence as part of a Provincial Reconstruction Team in southern Afghanistan in the province of Kandahar.

Afghanistan is Canada’s largest recipient of foreign aid pledged for the years 2002-2009.

During his one-day visit, Ambassador Samad will meet with members of the large Afghan–Canadian community in Vancouver, and also talk to the media. He will speak about the achievements and challenges of the past four years and the country’s prospects for the future.

Two large black tablets stand in the lobby of CARE Canada's Ottawa office, bearing the names of a number of CARE employees who've lost their lives while providing assistance to those in need around the world. Fortunately, it's a memorial that Clementina Cantoni, an Italian CARE worker, just narrowly missed joining.

Ambassador Samad, accompanied by Embassy Counsellor Mr. M. Masstan and Executive Assistant Mr. A. Ahmadi, attend Eid ul Fitr prayers at a Toronto center sponsored by the Afghan Association of Ontario. The Ambassador also spoke to the large congregation of Afghans conveying Eid messages from H.M. Mohammad Zahir, Father of the Nation, and H.E. President Hamid Karzai on the occasion. Subsequently he met with other members and leaders of the community who had gathered at the Omat-e Nabawi Mosque and congratulated all Afghans and Muslims celebrating Eid and the end of the holy month of Ramadan.