Area: 647,500 sq km
Population: 32,738,376 (2008 est.)
Population density : 46/km2

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia . It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the south and west, Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.

State of the Environment:

Tragically, the combined pressures of warfare, civil disorder, lack of governance and drought have taken a major toll on Afghanistan 's natural and human resources. These impacts have exacerbated a more general and long-standing process of land degradation, evidence of which is apparent throughout much of the country. As the country's natural resource base has declined, its vulnerability to natural disasters and food shortages has increased.

Clearly, effective natural resource management and rehabilitation must be a national priority if Afghanistan is to achieve long-term social stability and prosperity. Mitigation of environmental problems and protection of the environment will also support sustainable rural development and enhance job creation.

Together with the Afghan government, UNEP conceptualized a phased approach for providing assistance to Afghanistan with regard to environmental management.

• Phase 1, 2002-2003, assessed the environmental situation, and developed an action plan for addressing the key environmental problems. The Afghanistan Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment Report found, amongst other things, a degraded natural resources base and severely limited national capacity to address the problems.

• Phase 2, 2003-2007 focused on building the basic institutional, legal and human capacity for effective environmental management at the national level.

• Phase 3, 2008-2010 will provide assistance to the national environmental authorities to implement the environmental management framework across the country, and to manage the process of environmental restoration and community-based management.