Afghanistan is a landlocked country located in South and Central Asia, situated between the latitudes of 29° to 37° N. It encompasses an area of 647,000 square kilometers that are characterized by high mountains and deep valleys. Around 63% of the country is mountainous while the southwestern part of the country is mostly flatlands where the Helmand Rivers’ drainage basin lies. The country has a semi-arid to arid climate that is classified within the Desert and/or Desert Steppe climate classification scheme. Afghanistan has experienced a slight recovery in growth since 2015, with growth accelerating to 2.3% in 2016 and reaching 2.7% in 2017. Growth in 2017 was driven mostly by the services sector, which expanded by 2.5 percent in the context of recovering confidence and investment. The agricultural sector grew by 3.8 percent, with strong growth in fruit and vegetables offsetting declining wheat production in the context of ongoing drought impacting the northern and eastern areas of the country. 

Afghanistan submitted its Initial National Communication (INC) under the UNFCCC in 2012, and is currently preparing its Second National Communication (SNC) for submission to the UNFCCC in 2016. At present, Afghanistan is finalizing its national Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (ACCSAP) as well as its National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Through this Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) process and existing policies and strategies, the overall vision that was developed for Afghanistan aims to enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of its agriculture, environment, and population to climate change, while developing and implementing its Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS). (NDC, 2015)