UNAMA seeks to facilitate Afghan participation in international conferences — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): UNAMA Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Deputy Head Bruno Georges Lemarquis says efforts are underway to facilitate Afghan participation in international conferences, stressing the importance of attending COP and other environment-related meetings to raise Afghanistan’s concerns with the international community. He made the remarks during a meeting with National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA) Director-General Mati-ul-Haq Khalis at his office, the authority said in a statement. The meeting discussed environmental and climate change-related challenges, efforts to facilitate the participation of Afghan delegations in international environmental conferences, and attracting environmental projects to Afghanistan. Khalis said Afghanistan was facing numerous environmental challenges, while climate change, natural disasters and drought had severely affected people, particularly because most Afghans depend on agriculture and livestock farming. “Afghans are facing a humanitarian crisis, but unfortunately the international community has politicised environmental issues, ignored Afghanistan’s rights in this area and provided no financial support, even though Afghanistan is a formal member of international environmental conventions,” he said. He called on UNAMA officials to inform the international community about Afghanistan’s environmental challenges and the adverse impacts of climate change and to seek greater support for the country in these areas. He stressed that UNAMA should facilitate Afghanistan’s participation in international meetings so that the genuine problems and demands of the Afghan people could be conveyed…