Mr. Idrees Malyar Deputy Director General of National Environmental Protection Agency represented Afghanistan in the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme in Bangladesh. Mr. Malyar said, “We have a responsibility to address the existential environmental crisis we face.”

Mr. Malyar added: “The global environmental changes have caused extreme weather and environmental degradation affecting people from all walks of life. This phenomenon has to prompt us to take radical actions for restoring the environment.  I think we are all in agreement that the requisite shifts in terms of current trends of consumer behavior and socio-economic development to achieve environmental sustainability will be monumental and far-reaching. While we have the technology and know-how to do this, it remains to be seen whether we have the political and social will to make the difficult decisions that this will necessitate. It is with a sense of pride that I can say, as Afghanistan hands over the position of chair for SACEP to Bangladesh, that we have seen that there is such agreement in the wills of the governments and the people of all countries represented here. That leaves me with a feeling of optimism that, despite the challenges facing us as a region, we have the social and political means to achieve what needs to be done.”

South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme SACEP is an inter-governmental organization, established in 1982 by the governments of South Asia to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the region

SACEP member countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.