The U.N. is working to secure $19M in climate financing for Afghanistan, aiming to address droughts and floods without engaging Taliban authorities, as the country remains blocked from climate funds since the 2021 takeover.
The United Nations is working to unlock crucial climate financing for Afghanistan, one of the nations most vulnerable to climate change, which has not secured approval for new funds of this nature since the Taliban's 2021 takeover, two U.N. officials told Reuters.
Plagued by droughts and deadly floods, Afghanistan has been unable to access U.N. climate financing due to political and procedural hurdles since the former insurgents assumed power. Two U.N. agencies are currently drafting proposals they hope to present next year to secure nearly $19 million from the U.N.’s Global Environment Facility (GEF), a financial mechanism under the 2015 U.N. Paris Agreement on climate change.
The FAO hopes to secure $10 million to improve rangeland, forest and watershed management across up to four provinces in Afghanistan, while avoiding giving money directly to Taliban authorities. The U.N. Development Programme is pursuing $8.9 million to improve the resilience of rural communities where livelihoods are threatened by increasingly erratic weather patterns, the agency told Reuters. If successful, it plans to seek another $20 million project.
“We’re in conversations with the GEF, the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund – all these major climate financing bodies – to reopen the pipeline and get resources into the country, again, bypassing the de facto authorities,” said Stephen Rodriques, UNDP resident representative for Afghanistan.
Because the Taliban government is not recognised by U.N. member states, U.N. agencies would both submit the requests and implement the projects locally.
A Taliban administration spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
Tourists from all over the world flock to Paris, France for elaborate Valentine’s Day proposals, with agencies reporting record bookings and luxury ...
Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday (14 February) they are convinced that late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poi...
“Respected and feared globally,” U.S. President Donald Trump told troops at Fort Bragg on Friday (13 February), framing America’s renewed streng...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has partially shut down after Congress failed to reach agreement on immigration enforcement changes, de...
Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said on Friday (13 February) that Israel remains committed to the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the di...
The United Nations Security Council has renewed the Monitoring Team's mandate for another year. The Team supports the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, keeping in place restrictions that target individuals and entities linked to the Taliban.
Afghanistan’s Health Minister has urged urgent action to strengthen domestic polio diagnostics and expand healthcare for returnees and vulnerable communities, pressing international partners in Kabul for faster, fully funded support as the country faces mounting strain on its health system.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has accused Afghanistan’s authorities of fostering conditions “similar to or worse than pre-9/11”, as tensions between the two neighbours intensify amid a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Afghan officials and international partners met in Kabul on Wednesday (4 February) for the fourth meeting of the Doha Process Working Group on Counter-Narcotics, with officials citing a reduction in poppy cultivation to “nearly zero” as efforts to curb drug production and trafficking were reviewed.
Europe heads into the Munich Security Conference, on Friday (13 February), amid deepening unease over U.S. policy, as President Donald Trump’s hard-line stance on defence, trade and territory fuels doubts about Washington’s long-term commitment to transatlantic security.
American figure skating star Ilia Malinin endured a dramatic collapse in the men’s free skate on Friday night, falling twice and tumbling out of medal contention at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov surged to a surprise gold medal.
“Respected and feared globally,” U.S. President Donald Trump told troops at Fort Bragg on Friday (13 February), framing America’s renewed strength against to mounting pressure on Iran amid stalled nuclear talks.
Dubai-based global ports operator DP World said on Friday that its long-serving chairman and chief executive, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, has stepped down following mounting pressure linked to alleged ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking at Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha calls for decisive steps ahead of expected Geneva talks
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (12 February) announced the repeal of a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, and eliminated federal tailpipe emissions standards for cars and trucks.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani has killed at least 31 people and left four others missing after tearing through eastern Madagascar, the government said on Wednesday, with the island nation’s second-largest city bearing the brunt of the destruction.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Greenland registered its warmest January on record, sharpening concerns over how fast-rising Arctic temperatures are reshaping core parts of the island’s economy.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment