Afghanistan, UNEP launch USD $6 million initiative to help communities adapt to effects of climate change

AlertNet: The Government of Afghanistan, through its National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), has launched a USD $6 million climate change initiative, the first of its kind in the country's history.

This landmark scheme - to be implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and funded mainly by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) - aims to help communities that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as drought, and to build the capacity of Afghan institutions to address climate change risk.

"The Government of Afghanistan is showing a remarkable commitment to working with communities for a landscape approach to dealing with climate change in the country," said Michael Keating, UN Afghanistan Resident Coordinator, speaking from Bamyan in the Central Highlands, some 200km west of Kabul. "We also welcome the opportunity to help Afghan institutions better deal with shocks and hazards, and increase resilience at a decentralized level," he added.

UNEP identified Afghanistan as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, because of the potential impacts and its current limited capacity to react to these impacts. Climate change adaptation is especially important in developing nations, since those countries are predicted to bear the brunt of climate change effects. The overarching goal is to reduce the vulnerability of biological systems to these impacts….

An invader travels a road in Afghanistan's Tagab Valley, US Navy photo