بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, we support the statement made by Kuwait, delivered on behalf of the G77, and China on the “State of World’s Forest 2022”.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan wishes to underline the plight of vulnerable developing countries, including Afghanistan, where prolonged political, economic, and social crisis under the Taliban, also had devastating effects on the forest, and land use due to the breakdown in the management of natural resources in Afghanistan.

Due to four decades of conflict and displacement of our population, followed by the forceful taking of power by the Taliban, where a large number of the Afghan population have either left the country through humanitarian corridor or fled the country, Afghanistan area of natural forest has gone down from 1.5 million hectares to about 1 million hectares at present; This is a loss of 50%. Currently, the area under forests is 1.33% of total land area, compared to 2.3% in the 1990s. From 2001 to 2021 27% of tree cover loss occurred in areas, where dominant drivers of loss resulted in deforestation in Afghanistan. Reports indicate that under the Taliban administration, biodiversity policies are fully neglected and thus the illegal timber trade, though limited to a few eastern provinces, plays an important role in on- going instability in these areas. Hence, this has created a lucrative shadow economy that reaches across the frontier, providing incentives for the Taliban profiting from timber smuggling to perpetuate instability. The degradation of natural resources also directly and severely has harmed the environment and ecosystem, affecting the livelihoods of most of the Afghan population as well as the country’s agriculture and economic development. Let us not forget that healthy societies depend on healthy environment, which are rich in biodiversity.

Mr. Chairperson,
Dear Colleagues,

The process of recovery of natural forests is to make the community its custodian, provide training to communities in care to manage forests, replant and maintain barren forest landscape, and aggressively prevent illegal export of forest wood. Considering the close link between forest and rangeland, it is also essential to ensure that the local community is put in charge of both forest and rangeland. Hence, it is proposed that the FAO should concentrate on ways and means of dealing with members of the local Afghan Community in Afghanistan as well as our mutual partners on forest pathways to achieve environmental goals, that could adequately be reflected in the agrifood system’s transformation policies.

Thank you, Chairperson.