MasterPeace around the world: Afghanistan

With #MasterPeace_Around_The_World we focus on the people behind our 45+ MasterPeace clubs. We built on their ideas, hard work, and creativity and would like to share their stories with you.

When our MasterPeace club in Kabul noticed the increasing number of news articles on the effects of climate change they decided to undertake action. In 2016 they launched the project Green for Peace and ever since they have focused on spreading awareness on global warming. By bringing together municipalities and individuals to collectively plant trees, they bring together two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): creating more sustainable cities (SDG 11) and taking Climate Action (SDG 13).

That such endeavours are needed becomes clear out of a recent article from the Guardian, in which it was stated that The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan should take global warming ‘’just as seriously as fighting insurgents.’’ In this light, the government initiated the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), a programme that will focus on effectively mainstreaming climate change in some existing policies. On an international level, they recognized the importance of undertaking action by ratifying the articles of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP).

Mansoor Raufi, one of the 25 volunteers who is participating in this programme, noticed that not only the government was taking serious action against the consequences of global warming. Whereas MasterPeace Afghanistan mainly focused on cooperating with municipalities in 2016, the positive responses of the society itself enabled them to start working with communities as well. In 2017, they built on this enthusiasm by initiating a Social Media Campaign under the #GreenforPeace. Now, people from all over Kabul post pictures on the Facebook page of MasterPeace Afghanistan to share their efforts.

We are happy to see the positive impact of #GreenforPeace and wish our MasterPeace club in Afghanistan the best of luck with creating more live-able and sustainable cities!