Taliban appeals for support to address climate change amid COP29 debut

The Afghan Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs has called on industrialised nations such as the United States to support Afghanistan's efforts to tackle climate change- stating that these countries were "the main contributors" to the crisis, according to Afghan media on Monday. 

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai made his remarks during a Kabul conference titled "From Isolation to Inclusion – Afghanistan’s Urgent Call for Climate Action" coinciding with the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.  

"We appeal to the UN, major global powers, wealthy nations, and those whose greenhouse gas emissions have impacted our environment, to assist us in preserving our environment and in providing better services to the Afghan people," Stanikzai said. 

Meanwhile, a Taliban delegation, led by Matiul Haq Khalis, chairman of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), travelled to Azerbaijan to participate in UN climate talks.

Speaking through an interpreter, the delegation stated their aim was to "deliver the message ... to the world community that climate change is a global issue and it does not know transboundary issues".

The event marked the Taliban's first engagement with UN climate talks since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. 

Leading a three-person team, the former Taliban negotiator made a notable appearance in the busy halls of the climate conference in Baku, where representatives from nearly 200 nations have gathered for two weeks of discussions. 

The Taliban-led Afghan government, which lacks international recognition, previously attempted but failed to participate in COP (Conference of the Parties) meetings in Egypt and the UAE. 

Khalis, director general of Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), said that Azerbaijan's ecology minister and COP29 president, Mukhtar Babayev, had extended the invitation to his team.  

The Afghan delegation is in Baku as "guests" of the host nation, without formal involvement in negotiations. 

"I really appreciate" Babayev’s invitation and Azerbaijan's facilitation of visas, said Khalis, son of Afghan mujahideen commander Mawlawi Yunus Khalis. 

In recent months, the Taliban has increased its diplomatic efforts to secure an invitation to COP29, sparking controversy over their participation. 

Afghanistan, one of the nations most vulnerable to global warming, has argued that the Taliban's political isolation should not prevent their participation in international climate discussions. 

Khalis urged COP29 participants to consider the needs of highly impacted countries like Afghanistan "in their decisions," highlighting the disproportionate effects of climate change on such vulnerable regions. 

Stefan Rodriguez, Chief of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), also highlighted that climate change had forced some Afghans into temporary shelters as the country faced frequent natural disasters. 

Rodriguez noted, however, that after three years, Afghanistan had access to environmental financing mechanisms, and some organisations were prepared to resume their unfinished projects. 

However, the Taliban's treatment of women could pose a controversy at climate conferences, where gender rights are often a focal point of discussions. 

In response to concerns about gender rights, Khalis stated that the implementation of climate change projects "also boosts" women. 

In a conversation with the French news agency AFP, climate activist Harjeet Singh argued that "Afghan people, especially the most vulnerable, urgently need support from climate finance to recover and adapt."  

"However, as the Taliban government seeks to engage in the international process, it is essential that they respect and promote universal fundamental rights -- particularly women's rights within the country," he added.  

Sanjay Vashist, director of the Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA),  also emphasised that women and children are disproportionately bearing the impact of climate change.  

"The world cannot abandon the people of Afghanistan who are suffering from the triple whammy of the climate crises, gross human rights violations and extreme poverty," he continued. 

Amid increasing calls from rights groups worldwide to boycott negotiations with the Taliban until women's rights are restored, Taliban officials continue to push Afghanistan onto the global stage. 

 They are now seeking to participate as an official party in next year’s climate summit in Brazil. 

"We are very interested to be as a party in the COP30 in Brazil," Taliban representative Khalis said. 

"This is the right of the people, the climate justice for the people that's actually most vulnerable communities to the impact of climate change."