Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – The Taliban will participate in a United Nations climate conference for the first time since their 2021 return to power, marking an unprecedented step into global climate discussions. Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) announced on Sunday that a delegation has traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan, to join COP29, which begins Monday. While the Taliban remains unrecognized as Afghanistan’s official government, this attendance signals a unique engagement on an international stage.
NEPA head Matiul Haq Khalis stated that Afghanistan aims to strengthen environmental cooperation, share its climate needs, and explore access to international funding for climate mitigation and adaptation. This comes as Afghanistan grapples with severe climate impacts, including rising temperatures, reduced water availability, and intensifying droughts that threaten agriculture and food security.
Experts, such as Kabul University’s environmental science professor Hayatullah Mashwani, warn that climate change has exacerbated Afghanistan’s vulnerabilities. A recent Save the Children report ranked Afghanistan as the sixth most climate-vulnerable nation, with catastrophic droughts affecting 25 out of 34 provinces and displacing more children by climate disasters than any other country globally.
Environmental professor Abid Arabzai emphasized that Afghanistan’s involvement in COP29 could help secure critical international funding, support its climate initiatives, and potentially boost its standing in the global community.
