INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
As the 28th United Nations conference on climate change (COP28) opened in Dubai, UNAMA on Friday stressed that Afghanistan cannot go another
year without a voice on climate change.&It is time to think creatively to ensure that in one year&s time, we are not approaching COP29 with
yet another statement on Afghanistan&s absence,& UNAMA said in a statement.It called on all stakeholders to move from awareness to action as
climatic shocks and pressures continue to deeply affect the daily lives of millions of Afghans.Afghanistan remains among the top ten most
vulnerable and least ready countries to deal with the impacts of climate change
Nearly 20 million Afghans face emergency or crisis levels of food insecurity, driven by a third consecutive year of drought, economic
pressures, and high vulnerability to other natural hazards & including two devastating earthquakes in the last two years
Climate change is further exacerbating negative impacts on health, sanitation, poverty, migration, and displacement, particularly for the
most vulnerable, UNAMA said.While the United Nations and partners are assisting Afghans respond and build resilience to changing climatic
conditions, current efforts are insufficient
Humanitarian funding continues to decline, and climate finance remains largely suspended
Afghan voices are still absent from global climate fora, and the de facto authorities have yet to create a conducive policy and operational
environment under a codified system of governance to support access to global funds, according to UNAMA.&This situation is unsustainable,&
said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva
&UNAMA has repeatedly noted that mitigating and adapting to climate change and building climate resilience in the country cannot wait
All stakeholders must engage on this issue in an apolitical and constructive manner for the benefit of the Afghan people.&UNAMA said that
while awareness of the grave challenges of climate change in Afghanistan is growing, awareness alone will not build the resilience so
desperately needed among communities.&Now is the time to move from awareness to action,& said Otunbayeva
&This will require bold, collective and tangible action, at scale, backed by engagement, financing and governance efforts, including on
shared regional climate threats
It is a shared burden which will require resources as well as harnessing the potential of all Afghans.&The post Afghanistan cannot go
another year without a voice on climate change: UNAMA first appeared on Ariana News.
