- Amid Ongoing Human Rights Controversies, Afghan Officials Hope for Progress in Addressing Climate Crisis Challenges
In a rare diplomatic move since taking power in 2021, Afghan Taliban officials are set to attend the United Nations’ COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, as observers, according to an official statement released by the Afghan Foreign Ministry. This major United Nations climate conference, which begins next week, will bring together representatives from around the world to discuss pressing issues related to global warming and sustainable environmental policies. It marks a significant moment for Afghanistan’s participation in international forums since the Taliban’s controversial ascent to power.
The participation of the Afghan National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) representatives highlights the complexities of climate diplomacy amid an unresolved international standoff over Taliban governance. Afghanistan is not currently recognized as a legitimate state within the UN framework due to Taliban-led restrictions on women’s education, personal freedoms, and other human rights concerns. Consequently, Afghan officials are attending COP29 under limited observer status, without the ability to partake in main deliberations or decisions reserved for recognized UN member states.
Following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan was thrust into an unprecedented international diplomatic vacuum. No major country or global organization, including the United Nations, formally recognizes the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, largely due to its strict laws that limit women’s education and freedom of movement. Such restrictions have resulted in a diplomatic and economic isolation that has hindered Afghanistan’s ability to engage in global governance mechanisms and benefit from international aid to address mounting environmental crises.
Afghanistan’s exclusion from global dialogues, however, stands in stark contrast to the urgent environmental issues the country faces. From recurring droughts to devastating floods, the Afghan population is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The Taliban has expressed its desire for international engagement to secure resources and support to mitigate these challenges, albeit under terms and interpretations of law that remain a point of contention among global players.
The Azerbaijani government, hosting the COP29 conference, extended an invitation to NEPA officials to participate as observers rather than official representatives. This observer status means the Afghan officials can participate in side events and engage in bilateral discussions, though they will not have access to the same level of participation as recognized state actors. Azerbaijani officials have not commented directly on the matter, and a UN diplomatic source reported that the COP29 presidency, led by Azerbaijan, declined to issue full credentials to Taliban representatives due to the group’s lack of official recognition.
For the Taliban, this opportunity is nonetheless significant. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the NEPA delegation had already arrived in Baku, and he expressed hope that Afghanistan’s presence at COP29 could bring international attention to the country’s environmental challenges. “Despite the lack of formal recognition, we aim to engage constructively,” Balkhi stated, indicating the Taliban administration’s growing efforts to re-establish diplomatic connections.
As one of the countries most affected by climate change, Afghanistan is currently experiencing severe environmental degradation. Successive droughts and flash floods have devastated agricultural lands, leading to chronic food insecurity in a nation where the majority of the population relies on subsistence farming. Climate-induced disasters have compounded Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, which is already exacerbated by political instability, conflict, and economic isolation.
“This is a critical moment for Afghanistan,” says Maruf Akbari, an environmental researcher specializing in Central Asia. “The country is trapped between political isolation and one of the most dangerous climate trajectories globally. Afghans are paying a double price—first for climate impact and second for being diplomatically cut off from potential aid and resources.”
Despite the Taliban’s ideological stance, officials have increasingly vocalized a need to collaborate on environmental issues, citing that ecological disasters do not respect political boundaries. Afghan officials have pointed to catastrophic flash floods that killed hundreds and destroyed entire communities as one indication of the urgent need for support and collaboration.
The Taliban’s participation at COP29 has been met with mixed reactions. Many nations and human rights organizations argue that allowing Taliban representatives any form of participation sends a tacit endorsement to a regime known for its restrictive policies on women’s rights. Since 2021, Afghan girls have been banned from attending schools beyond primary grades, and women are barred from universities and many workplaces. In addition, the Taliban administration has implemented strict morality laws that require women to cover their faces in public and restrict their movement without a male guardian.
“The Taliban’s attendance highlights a moral quandary for international bodies,” says Layla Samir, a legal expert specializing in international human rights. “While Afghanistan’s climate issues are undeniably urgent, giving the Taliban a platform risks downplaying the serious human rights abuses happening under their rule.”
The Taliban maintains that their policies align with their interpretation of Islamic law and emphasize that they are focused on rebuilding Afghanistan on the basis of cultural and religious values. They argue that international isolation, particularly on pressing issues like climate change, only serves to harm ordinary Afghans. Yet many governments remain hesitant to engage fully with a regime they view as lacking basic human rights protections.
Some experts argue that complete isolation of the Taliban-controlled administration may actually hurt Afghan citizens rather than influence Taliban policy. Habib Mayar, deputy general secretary of the g7+, an intergovernmental organization for conflict-affected countries, argues that climate change warrants a pragmatic approach to diplomacy. “Afghanistan is one of the countries that is really left behind on the needs that it has,” Mayar explained. “Isolation only further entrenches the climate vulnerability of ordinary Afghans.”
Several advocates emphasize that environmental engagement does not necessarily equate to political endorsement. They suggest that instead of isolating Afghanistan entirely, international organizations could establish conditional engagement frameworks focused solely on climate and humanitarian issues, with safeguards to prevent political legitimization of the Taliban’s other policies.
The presence of Afghan officials at COP29 could yield varying outcomes. One immediate possibility is increased access to environmental data-sharing and technical support from non-governmental environmental organizations, which often operate outside formal diplomatic channels. Moreover, Afghanistan’s status as an observer may allow for informal bilateral dialogues between Afghan representatives and other countries willing to discuss climate strategies on a limited, issue-specific basis.
For the Taliban, successful engagement at COP29 could serve as a platform to seek further conditional participation in other global forums related to development and humanitarian aid. But experts caution that any tangible benefits will likely require a nuanced approach that neither endorses the Taliban’s governance style nor exacerbates Afghanistan’s isolation.
Despite uncertainties surrounding the Taliban’s political future, Afghanistan’s environmental crisis demands a response. Without international assistance, experts warn that climate change may escalate the nation’s humanitarian needs, drive more rural Afghans into poverty, and increase internal displacement. The question, therefore, remains as to how international actors can address climate change in Afghanistan without compromising their commitment to human rights and democratic principles.
The inclusion of Afghanistan in COP29 discussions, albeit in a limited capacity, could set a precedent for future engagement with unrecognized or controversial regimes on shared global issues. Climate change, as a borderless challenge, requires cooperation across political divides. Some analysts argue that Afghanistan’s COP29 invitation could pave the way for conditional engagement with other isolated nations facing environmental crises, suggesting that issue-specific diplomacy may be a viable model moving forward.
However, this approach is not without risks. There is a fine line between cooperation on shared challenges and the perception of political legitimacy. For now, it appears that COP29 has allowed Afghan representatives to step into the global arena on climate issues, even if broader recognition remains elusive.
