KABUL/BAKU: U.N. agencies are working to unlock vital climate financing for Afghanistan, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, which has not received new funding since the Taliban's takeover in 2021, according to two U.N. officials.
Afghanistan has faced severe droughts and devastating floods, yet it has been unable to access U.N. climate funds due to political and procedural barriers following the Taliban’s return to power. With the country’s population increasingly desperate, U.N. agencies are now pushing to secure project financing to help the country strengthen its resilience to climate change.
This would mark the first time in three years that new international climate finance could flow into Afghanistan, a country suffering from environmental disasters.
“There are no climate sceptics in Afghanistan,” said Dick Trenchard, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) country director for Afghanistan. “You see the impact of climate change and its environmental effects everywhere you go.”
Two U.N. agencies are currently working on proposals to access nearly $19 million in financing from the U.N.'s Global Environment Facility (GEF), a key funding body established under the 2015 U.N. Paris Agreement on climate change.
The FAO is hoping to secure $10 million for a project aimed at improving rangeland, forest, and watershed management across up to four provinces, all while avoiding direct financial support to the Taliban authorities. Similarly, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) is seeking $8.9 million to boost the resilience of rural communities facing severe threats from unpredictable weather patterns. If successful, the UNDP also plans to seek additional funding for 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.
National governments usually partner with accredited agencies to implement climate projects, but due to the lack of international recognition of the Taliban government, U.N. agencies will be the ones to submit the request and carry out the work on the ground.
Rodriques stressed, “If one of the countries most impacted by climate change in the world cannot have access to international climate funds, it means something isn’t working.” He added that any funds should be accompanied by ongoing discussions about human and women’s rights.
In 2024, flash floods have claimed hundreds of lives in Afghanistan, and the country endured one of the worst droughts in decades, ending only last year. Many farmers face severe food insecurity, exacerbating the challenges in one of the poorest countries globally.
Before the final decision by the GEF Council, the FAO and UNDP will need to secure preliminary approval from the GEF secretariat.
No foreign capital has formally recognized the Taliban government, and many of its members face sanctions. The U.S. has frozen billions in Afghan central bank funds and banned girls and women over 12 from attending schools and universities. Many human rights activists have criticized the Taliban’s policies, raising concerns about whether funding Afghanistan could undermine calls for changes to women’s rights.
The Taliban insists it respects women's rights in line with its interpretation of Islamic law.
Countries recovering from conflict often struggle to attract private investment due to the risks involved, making U.N. funds essential for their populations, many of whom have been displaced by war and natural disasters.
For the first time, Taliban representatives are attending the ongoing U.N. climate negotiations (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, as observers. Their participation could help build trust with international donors, said Abdulhadi Achakzai, founder of Afghanistan’s Environmental Protection Trainings and Development Organization, during COP29.
