UNAMA 'Facilitates' Taliban's Participation In Baku Climate Conference

Diplomatic sources told Afghanistan International that UNAMA has facilitated the Taliban's participation in the annual United Nations climate change summit in Baku.

After the fall of the previous government, the United Nations Climate Change Convention suspended Afghanistan's participation.

Afghanistan's mission in Geneva had nominated Nasir Ahmad Andisha, the head of the mission, to participate in the 29th United Nations Climate Summit, COP29.

"Given the current difficult situation in Afghanistan and our commitment to participate in international environmental dialogues, Nasir Andisha, as Afghanistan's official representative, is a very suitable choice to participate in the COP29 summit to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan," said a letter written by Afghanistan's mission in Geneva to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 16.

The letter expressed the hope that Azerbaijan's mission to the United Nations would convey the letter to the relevant authorities in Baku.

It seems that the request of the Afghan representative in Geneva has not been accepted by Azerbaijan, and the Taliban has sent its representative to this international meeting instead.

Diplomatic sources told Afghanistan International that Afghanistan was absent from the previous three UN summits in Cairo, Abu Dhabi and Scotland, but "this year Baku took a different approach, and we are sure that UNAMA played a role (in Baku's decision to invite the Taliban)".

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan has not yet responded to a question from Afghanistan International about UNAMA's role in introducing the Taliban delegation to the Baku meeting.

‘UNAMA Chief Meets Taliban Official’

According to a note from the Taliban's Environment Department published on November 4 on the agency's page on social media platform X, Roza Otunbayeva, the head of UNAMA, met with Matiul Haq Khalis, the head of the National Environmental Protection Agency in Afghanistan.

"There was a comprehensive discussion on the nature and scope of the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP29)," the note said.

The Taliban did not say that Otunbayeva had invited the Taliban to attend the meeting. However, a diplomatic source told Reuters that Azerbaijan invited officials from the Taliban's Environment Department as observers to enable them to "potentially participate in peripheral discussions and have the opportunity to have bilateral meetings".

According to the source, since the Taliban government is not officially recognised by the United Nations, the group's officials cannot receive accreditation to participate in the proceedings of the member states.

AFP also reported on Tuesday that the Taliban delegation that attended the meeting was not involved in the main talks.

A three-member Taliban delegation led by Matiul Haq Khalis, travelled to Azerbaijan on Monday, November 12, to attend the international meeting.

The UN's annual climate summit kicked off on Monday, November 11. Fundraising for developing countries is the main topic of discussion at the conference so that they can adapt to these changes.

Afghanistan is one of the countries which has suffered the worst due to climate change. This year's flash floods claimed hundreds of lives. Meanwhile, the heavily dependent country is suffering from one of the worst droughts in decades.

With the fall of the previous Afghan government, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change postponed Afghanistan's participation after 2021, effectively pulling the country out of the negotiations.

After three years, the Taliban delegation has participated in this important international meeting, which was hosted by the United Nations, for the first time.

Taliban officials have so far participated in United Nations meetings on Afghanistan in Doha, as well as in meetings in China and Central Asia.

The United Nations has refused to hand over Afghanistan's seat in the General Assembly to the Taliban, and the Taliban government has not been recognized by any country so far, mainly due to the restrictions it has imposed on women's education and work.