The National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) has announced the approval of a $10 million budget for implementing a project aimed at combating climate change in Afghanistan.
This project, which focuses on enhancing the resilience of local communities against climate change and improving their livelihoods, will be implemented over five years in Badakhshan and Kunar provinces.
The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and will be implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Rohullah Amin, head of climate change at the NEPA, stated: “This project was one of Afghanistan’s suspended initiatives, which was recently approved with a budget of $10 million by the Global Environment Facility, the Least Developed Countries Fund Council, and the Special Climate Change Fund.”
Some experts, pointing to Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change in recent years, consider this project an effective step in reducing the impacts of climate change in the country.
“The effectiveness of these projects depends on factors such as financial resources, international cooperation, local community participation, and government commitment. These projects can contribute to areas such as water resource management or climate-resilient agriculture,” said Mohammad Dawood Shirzad, a university professor.
“The level of investment compared to the challenges in our country is very low. However, it is a positive step because we learn from these projects. In fact, these projects help us understand which initiatives are more beneficial, which ones increase community resilience, and which ensure greater food security,” said Najibullah Sadeed, a water management expert.
According to the National Environmental Protection Agency, this project will focus on promoting climate-resilient agriculture, restoring degraded lands, afforestation in affected areas, sustainable management of natural resources, soil and water conservation, improving irrigation systems, introducing drought-resistant plant species, and expanding pasturelands in Kunar and Badakhshan provinces.