Taliban govt officials will attend COP29 summit

The Taliban will attend a UN climate conference, COP29, for the first time since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the country's national environment agency said Sunday.

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The conference begins on Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan, and is one of the most important multilateral talks to include the Taliban, which took control in Kabul after 20 years of fighting NATO-backed forces and does not have official recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency posted on X that a technical delegation had gone to Baku to participate. Matiul Haq Khalis, the agency's head, said the delegation would use the conference to strengthen cooperation with the international community on environmental protection and climate change, share Afghanistan's needs regarding access to existing financial mechanisms related to climate change, and discuss adaptation and mitigation efforts.

The COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan's capital Baku will be among the highest-profile multilateral events attended by Taliban administration officials Experts told news agency AP that climate change has led to numerous and negative impacts on Afghanistan, creating serious challenges because of the country's geographical location and weak climate policies.