UN staff moved out of Afghanistan
The UN has begun relocating some of its 300 foreign staff in Afghanistan to other locations because of worries about rising violence, officials have said.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the plan is to move mainly clerical and administrative staff, along with anyone else whose job does not require being in the country.
Those people are starting to be relocated to Kuwait or other UN offices over the next three months.
"We're trying to maintain our core functions while maintaining staff security," he said.
The UN has 1,500 staff in Afghanistan of whom about 80% are locally hired, Mr Haq added.
A report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over the weekend urged the relocations but said the UN "foresaw no significant reduction in the actual number of substantive staff members in Afghanistan".
The relocations are likely to affect a few dozen of the 300 internationally hired staff.