By Basant El-Faramawy
Afghanistan's Taliban officials have been invited to attend the upcoming United Nations climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, as observers for the second time since the group returned to power in 2021. The conference, officially known as COP31, begins next week in the Mediterranean city.
Second Observer Role at COP31
Rohullah Amin, head of climate change at Afghanistan’s environment protection agency, confirmed Tuesday that Kabul plans to send a delegation. A Turkish official, speaking anonymously under government regulations, also verified the Taliban's attendance as observers. Two years ago, Taliban representatives attended the COP summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, marking their first appearance at a UN climate conference since 2021.
Limited Status in UN Negotiations
The United Nations has not allowed the Taliban to assume Afghanistan’s seat at the General Assembly, and the Taliban government lacks formal recognition from UN member states, largely due to severe restrictions on women’s education and movement. Since the Baku summit, leadership groups of UN climate conferences have deferred a decision on who represents Afghanistan, effectively freezing Kabul out of formal negotiations. Observers can attend meetings but do not have a formal role in policy negotiations.
Afghanistan's Climate Crisis
Afghanistan ranks among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, facing compounding crises of drought, water scarcity, extreme heat, and unpredictable flooding, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The population largely depends on agriculture, and recurring droughts have severely weakened food production. Between April and December last year, more than 1.6 million people were displaced due to climate impacts, the International Organization for Migration reported.
Calls for Climate Finance Access
Sayedmuhammad Sulimankhil, executive director of the Kabul-based nongovernmental Samsoor Watan organization, urged the international community not to treat Afghanistan as a political issue regarding climate finance. “It's the Afghanistan community that’s facing the climate consequences. It is not the government that is facing the consequences,” he said. Former Afghan lawmaker and women’s rights activist Fawzia Koofi has publicly criticized Taliban attendance at previous summits, citing the group's restrictions on women and dissent.
