Jordan: Arab countries come together to join efforts for the environment

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Ibrahim Al-Shuhada, representing Prime Minister Omar Al-Razzaz, inaugurated the special session of the Arab Council of Ministers responsible for the environment in the Dead Sea region .

Al-Shihada said that this session falls under various environmental conditions and challenges facing the Arab region, in particular the sharp increase in the amount of solid waste generated and high pollution rates, as well as unsustainable consumption and production patterns following conflicts armed and humanitarian crises

He said that Jordan hosts 1.3 million Syrian refugees, about 20% of the population of the Kingdom, stressing that Jordan needs about 2.7 billion dollars a year to cope with the negative effects of this crisis on various sectors, including the environmental sector.

He stressed that international assistance to Jordan at its upper limit does not exceed 35% of what is actually needed to save, prompting the government to allocate a quarter of its annual budget to overcome the crisis.

He stressed that the application of the principles and concepts of environmental governance and the adoption of sustainable production and consumption models is one of the most important pillars that must be activated to achieve global development that guarantees growth. sustainable economy and sustainable development and social protection of natural resources.

For its part, the Lebanese Minister of the Environment, the current president of the Council of Arab Ministers responsible for environmental affairs, Tariq Khatib, said that the decision makers of the world have realized in the past years the importance to protect the environment and preserve nature and its resources.

He went on to say that the world is witnessing the abyss of three axes of sustainable development: economy, society and the environment. There is the certainty that economic growth can only be achieved through sustainable development; however, the environmental axis often falls out of the equation.

However, the Arab environment and natural resources face multiple challenges and pressures that threaten their sustainability and therefore jeopardize the opportunities and possibilities for social and economic development that endanger the Arab region of environmental, economic and social deterioration. .

He stressed that the environment in the Arab region faces many challenges, such as water management, combating desertification, reducing atmospheric pollution, deterioration of the coastal environment and emerging environmental threats. as the increase in natural disasters and the scarcity of renewable water resources.

He stressed that sustainable development in the Arab region is in danger due to current conflicts, economic marginalization, low welfare and increased pressure on the environment and the economy, with # 39 absence of a global framework for environmental management, which indicates that in order to achieve effective environmental management, a thorough examination of the nature of regional priorities and their interdependence is required. , In order to propose appropriate solutions to address the seriousness of the challenges in the region.

For his part, the representative of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Jamal Aldin Gaballah, said that the meetings aim to achieve the integration of the Arab efforts in the implementation of the global agenda for environment and contribute effectively to the preparation of the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Program General Assembly in Nairobi in March 2019. A unified Arab position on its agenda to ensure that Arab interests are taken into account and marketed for the interests and priorities of the Arab region.

He stressed that there is an important document that the world is currently trying to negotiate, it is the International Pact on the Environment, it is a negotiation process that will last more than a year and requires us as an Arab group to actively participate in this process, which it requires not only regional coordination in Arab positions, but also in interministerial interaction and coordination.

Despite the challenges facing the Arab region in the protection of the environment and efforts to achieve sustainable development, the interest of Arab countries in environmental issues is increasing clearly and positively, said the Director-General of the United Nations Program for Western Asia Sami Damasi.

He expressed his hope for continued active Arab participation in the various international environmental events expected to be witnessed in 2019, including: the entry into force of the Kigali amendments to the Montreal Protocol, the negotiations on the 39 environment and the fourth session of the United Nations Program on the Environment, and to complete efforts to implement pollution control initiatives launched in the margins of the third session of the United Nations Program for environment (UNEP) such as the Clean Seas Campaign, wildlife protection campaigns and others.

In the context of sustainable consumption and production, ESCWA has worked with the League of Arab States, the United Nations Environment Program and the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe to organize round tables on sustainable consumption and production in the region in order to shift to sustainable consumption and production patterns.

He stressed that the main indicators of the objectives of sustainable development are few or no progress at Arab regional level in terms of exposure to air pollution, per capita carbon dioxide emissions, water stress and solid waste per capita. Consumption and sustainable production patterns in the Arab region.

He expressed his aspiration to agree on strong future steps to activate the role of the Arab group in the global environmental agenda and make clear decisions on environmental issues to be discussed and the voice of the Arab environment at the fourth session of the Assembly. of the United Nations environment in Nairobi.