Afghanistan, UNICEF decry Afghanistan’s exclusion from the COP30 summit

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Afghanistan, Dr Tajudeen Oyewale, expressed concern over Afghanistan's absence from the COP30 summit in Brazil, despite being one of the world’s lowest carbon emitters.

Dr Oyewale wrote, “I’m not attending the COP30 climate summit in Brazil this year. Nor is anyone there to speak on behalf of children in Afghanistan. Yet it is among the countries most exposed to climate impacts while contributing almost nothing to the crisis.”

He termed climate change as “more than an abstract talking point being debated” at the Conference of the Parties (COP). He noted that the impact of the climate and water crises on families in Afghanistan often goes unnoticed.

“The impact of climate change on the country is truly a silent emergency: more than half of water points in key drought-prone provinces have dried up.” he said

He added that despite all this, “Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most underfunded humanitarian crises.”

Earlier this week, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned that climate change is intensifying the strain on Afghanistan’s rural communities and making lawful crop production less viable.

In a post on X, UNODC said, “Climate change in Afghanistan worsens rural hardship and reduces the viability of licit crops, making poppy cultivation more attractive.

To ensure long-term success in drug control and alternative development, future strategies need to integrate climate resilience as a core component.”

Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) expressed deep concern that Afghanistan, despite being one of the world’s most climate-affected countries, did not receive an official invitation to participate in COP30 in Brazil.

In a statement released by the agency, it said Afghanistan did not receive an official invite to the Climate summit.

“Despite Afghanistan being one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, it has unfortunately not received an official invitation to participate in the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in Brazil.”

The statement emphasised that climate change is a global problem affecting all regions, with the leading causes rooted in the greenhouse gas emissions of industrialised nations.

“The main driver of climate change has been the industrialised and developed countries that have followed the path of greenhouse gas emissions and achieved economic growth, which has been the main cause of the climate-related damage faced by least developed countries like Afghanistan,” NEPA states.

The agency urged the United Nations and other organisations to recognise Afghanistan’s right to participate in global climate forums. It called for inclusion so that the voices of Afghans affected by climate change can be heard.

“The exclusion of the Afghan people from the right to participate in this conference contradicts the principles of climate justice, global cooperation, and human solidarity.”

On the exclusion of Afghanistan from the COP30 climate summit, Assem Mayar, an environmental expert, said, “This marks a setback for integrating the country into global climate discussions. Climate shocks are already crippling communities, and adaptation will now face even further delays.”

It is worth mentioning that an Afghan delegation from NEPA did participate in the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, late last year.

However, AnewZ has not yet received an official response from the organisers of COP30 regarding why Afghanistan was not invited.

Dr Oyewale urged world leaders attending the COP30 summit in Brazil to remember the plight of Afghan women and children who have been severely affected by the climate crisis despite bearing no responsibility for it.

“As world leaders take the stage in Brazil, I ask them to remember the countries not present in the negotiation halls. Remember the children who walk for water with empty containers. The mothers who boil what should not be drunk. The parents who bury children whose deaths could have been prevented. They did not cause this crisis. Yet they are enduring its worst consequences.”

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