Taliban Join United Nations’ Climate Talks for the First Time Since Taking Over Afghanistan

The Taliban, in its capacity as the government of Afghanistan, has entered into its first climate talks with the United Nations since the fundamentalist group took over the country in 2021.The Agence France-Presse reports that the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee hosted three days of talks that ended on Tuesday, according to the country director at the organization, Terje Watterdal.The talks were the first time Taliban officials “joined a parallel session, face-to-face and online, with a broad range of their counterparts in the West since the change of government in August 2021.”The talks included representatives from universities, diplomats, the United Nations, and members of Afghan society.Mr. Watterdal said that all parties agreed that “both individual and collective action is required both inside and outside of Afghanistan.”“All government ministries committed their full support for the national and international organizations working to combat climate change and reduce the impact of climate change in Afghanistan,” Mr. Watterdal told reporters.Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the international community has been divided on how to approach negotiations with the theocratic government.Some nations have advocated for freezing the country out of international negotiations until they concede on issues like women’s rights. The recent conference had equal representation of both men and women present.Afghanistan is seen as one of the counties least prepared to face the effects of climate change in the world, racked by poverty and decades of war.Around 80 percent of the country’s population relies on agriculture for their livelihood, making the country’s population one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, despite the fact that Afghanistan is responsible for only a sliver of greenhouse gas emissions.A deputy director of the National Environmental Protection Agency of Afghanistan, Zainul Abideen Abid, said that management of the situation “is a priority.”

Taliban Join United Nations’ Climate Talks for the First Time Since Taking Over Afghanistan

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