Who represents Afghanistan's climate interests?

Senior reporter Chloé Farand in conversation with Afghanistan’s former climate negotiator Samim Hoshmand.
As the Taliban swept across Afghanistan releasing prisoners, Samim Hoshmand, the country's climate negotiator, received death threats from illegal traders of ozone-depleting substances he had helped put in jail. They were coming for revenge.
He fled with his family days before Kabul fell to the Islamic militants, leaving everything behind. He found refuge in neighbouring Tajikistan, but his situation is precarious. He fears for his future and that of his life’s work: to help Afghanistan build resilience to climate shocks.
As Afghanistan’s climate change director at the National Environmental Protection Agency, Samim led the Afghan climate delegation at the 2019 UN climate talks in Madrid, Spain, and has advocated extensively for climate finance to reach conflict-affected states.
He will speak to Climate Home News’ senior reporter Chloé Farand about his escape from Afghanistan, his hopes and fears for the future and how the international community can continue to support climate action in the warn-torn nation.
In Kabul, the Taliban have announced the creation of an all-male caretaker government, including several figures on UN sanction lists. Maybe unsurprisingly, there isn’t a minister in charge of climate and the environment.
Western governments have so far refused to recognise the Taliban rulers. But if not them, then who speaks for Afghans?
Afghanistan is one of the world’s poorest and most climate vulnerable countries in the world and continues to need urgent climate aid. This event will aim to spotlight the climate reality facing the nation.
About Samim Hoshmand
Samim Hoshmand has worked and advocated for climate and environmental issues in Afghanistan for more than a decade.
In May 2019, he was appointed climate change director of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency and led the Afghan delegation’s technical negotiations at the UN climate talks. As part of his role, he helped secure nearly $22 million from the Green Climate Fund.
In parallel, he served as the head of the National Ozone Unit, where he played a significant role in enforcing the country’s ban on ozone-depleting substances, or HCFCs, as a signatory of the Montreal Protocol.
Prior to his work for the Afghan government, Samim worked as a climate change consultant for the Heinrich Böll Foundation and as a technical advisor of the UN Environment Program (UNEP). In 2012, he established Environment Watch Afghanistan (EWA) - one of the first community-based organisations focused on climate change and environment issues in Afghanistan.
He is the author of “Towards Green Future” an environment and natural resources manual in Farsi that aims to raise awareness about environmental issues.