Taliban Environment Authority Highlights Role in Upcoming Baku Conference

The General Directorate of Environmental Protection under the Taliban administration announced that Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis, the head of the department, met with Stephanie Lozy, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) official in Afghanistan, and her accompanying delegation. The primary focus of the meeting was the preparations for Afghanistan’s participation in the upcoming international conference in Baku and how to effectively highlight the country’s environmental challenges.

According to the directorate’s statement, Mawlawi Khalis described the Baku international conference as important for Afghanistan and called for the necessary arrangements to facilitate the presence of the Afghan delegation. He emphasized that Afghanistan’s environmental problems and needs must be effectively raised on global platforms.

In recent years, Afghanistan has faced challenges such as climate change, drought, and the destruction of natural resources—issues that require regional and international cooperation. However, political restrictions and the lack of formal recognition of the Taliban administration have complicated official interactions in some international forums.

Meanwhile, the UN-Habitat official stressed the continuation of coordination with relevant institutions. Both sides agreed that Afghanistan’s environmental priorities should be presented coherently and effectively at the conference.