On 13 March, SIPRI and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) held a closed roundtable focused on climate, peace and security in Afghanistan since 2021. The event was held online.
Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, with more frequent extreme weather events and temperatures that are increasing faster than the global average. These factors, coupled with the legacy of four decades of war, a complex humanitarian emergency and an economic crisis since the Taliban’s takeover of the government in August 2021, have heightened the vulnerability of the Afghan population. SIPRI and NUPI recently produced a fact sheet analysing climate-related peace and security risks in Afghanistan.
The roundtable brought together experts, practitioners, policymakers and member state representatives to discuss the challenges Afghanistan is facing due to climate-related change. Focusing specifically on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the discussion explored how UNAMA has integrated climate, peace and security concerns into its work and what opportunities and challenges UNAMA has identified with regards to the implementation of climate, peace and security in its programming.
The roundtable was held under the Chatham House Rule.