Five men and one woman from Afghanistan who were due to attend Cop26 as delegates had their applications rejected just days before the event begins. The six people chose to remain anonymous because of security concerns. However, all of them have fled the Taliban and are hiding in neighbouring countries from where it would be easy to travel to the UK.

Initially, it was perceived that either the Home Office or the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) had vetoed their trip to the UK. 

However, a report by the Guardian reveals that this decision had not been made by any UK government department. A source told The Guardian that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat would not be registering delegates from Afghanistan to Cop26. This comes after guidance from the Bureau of the Cop. 

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No reason has been given for the rejection of applications.

The six have expressed their concern over the matter as they said that they are upset with UNFCCC’s decision to bar them from attending the global climate event.

The Cop26 summit in UK’s Glasgow will be held from October 31 to November 12. As a part of the NDCs, the countries are required to submit an emissions reduction plan at the summit. Co-chaired by UK and Italy, the summit will see participation by heads of state and governments from over 120 nations.