HM the King’s Personal Representative and President of the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, on June, 8 deputized the Special Envoy for Climate Affairs and Chief Executive Officer of the SCE, Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Daina, to chair the 23rd meeting of the GCC Ministers Responsible for Environmental Affairs.
In his opening statement, Dr. Bin Daina conveyed greetings from HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad to the participants, as well as HH’s wishes of success for them in coming up with the best results and recommendations, BNA reports.
He also extended congratulations to the leaders, governments, and peoples of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on the 40th anniversary of the GCC Secretariat-General, praising the landmark achievements of the joint GCC march, and wishing GCC countries further progress.
The participants extended sincere thanks, appreciation, and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, for launching the “Saudi Green” and the “Middle East Green” initiatives.
The participants approved a number of resolutions aimed at enhancing joint GCC environmental action, in addition to the recommendations of the technical committees in charge of following up on the implementation of the strategic plan of the GCC Ministers Responsible for Environmental Affairs Committee.
They also adopted the recommendations related to the Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and its Natural Habitats, as well as on international cooperation with Jordan, Morocco, and the United Nations Environment Program in the fields of environmental protection and its development in sustainable ways.
They also stressed the importance of unifying GCC states’ stances during the negotiations on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
In this regard, they backed the United Arab Emirates’ bid to host the 28th meeting of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
They also voiced their support for enriching the GCC pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai with various environmental activities.
Dr. Bin Daina highlighted the importance of the resolutions of the 23rd meeting of the GCC Ministers Responsible for Environmental Affairs in enhancing environmental cooperation and coordination among member states.
He also extended thanks and appreciation to the GCC Secretariat-General for its efforts to ensure the success of the meeting.
