In a first, Taliban talks with UN on climate change amid Afghanistan's foreign aid woes

The Taliban government has initiated its first discussions with the United Nations, donors, and non-governmental organisations regarding the implications of climate change in Afghanistan, as confirmed by organisers.

After enduring four decades of conflict, Afghanistan finds itself among the countries least equipped to confront the consequences of climate change, which manifest in extreme weather events and disruptions to natural ecosystems.

Since the Taliban’s assumption of power in 2021, foreign aid to Afghanistan has diminished, with donors hesitating to support a regime regarded as an international outcast. This reduction in aid has left impoverished and climate-vulnerable communities even more susceptible to environmental risks.

The Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) co-hosted a three-day dialogue, culminating Tuesday, as disclosed by Terje Watterdal, the organisation’s country director, during a press briefing in Kabul.

Watterdal highlighted that it marked the first instance of Taliban officials participating in a parallel session, both in person and online, engaging with a diverse array of counterparts from Western nations since the change of government in August 2021.

The discussions encompassed representatives from universities, diplomatic missions, UN agencies, donors, and grassroots members of Afghan society.

According to Watterdal, all parties acknowledged the necessity for “individual and collective action” both within and beyond Afghanistan to address the challenges posed by climate change.

“All government ministries committed their full support for the national and international organisations working to combat climate change and reduce the impact of climate change in Afghanistan.”

Split opinions

International opinion has been starkly split over how to deal with the Taliban authorities that have enforced an austere vision of Islamic rule in Afghanistan.

Some have said they should be frozen out of the international community until they roll back their curbs on women and girls, which have seen millions shut out of education.

Others have advocated for engaging with Taliban authorities on less controversial subjects which could benefit the population of the deeply impoverished nation.

Watterdal said it is “necessary to de-politicise key development issues, such as climate change”.

But he said talks had a 50/50 male and female split “to ensure that we also have the women’s perspective when it comes to climate change”.

Climate change plays a key role in the livelihoods of Afghans, with around 80 percent of the country’s 43 million population relying on agriculture for income.

During the talks, researchers said Afghanistan is only responsible for 0.06 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but ranks sixth among nations most vulnerable to climate change.

Afghanistan has also witnessed a temperature increase of 1.8 Celsius (35.2 Fahrenheit) since 1950, outstripping the global average of 1.5C (34.7F).

This month, Afghanistan saw huge downpours of rain which followed an unusually dry winter and claimed more than 100 lives.

Deputy Director of the National Environmental Protection Agency of Afghanistan Zainul Abideen Abid said “Climate change management is a priority”.

“We call upon all relevant United Nations agencies to avoid mere sloganeering and take practical steps,” he said, asking for more funding to be unlocked for the country.

He also called for Afghanistan to be included in the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan in November. The Taliban government was not invited to last year’s COP28 in Dubai.

With inputs from AFP