The U.N. has not allowed the Taliban to take up Afghanistan's seat at the General Assembly, and Afghanistan's government is not formally recognised by U.N. member states, largely due to the Taliban's restrictions on women's education and freedom of movement.

The spotlight is on Azerbaijan as the small petrostate in the South Caucasus hosts the U.N.’s biggest climate conference. Diplomats from across the world will descend on the capital Baku for the annual climate summit,

The COP29 summit will be among the highest-profile multilateral events attended by Taliban administration officials since they took control in Kabul.