‘Qatar eager to enhance regional, international co-operation to face climate change’

HE the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie has stressed Qatar’s eagerness to enhance its bilateral relations with regards to protecting the environment and countering the repercussions of climate change in a manner that promotes mutual benefit, co-operation, and complementary action.The minister told the Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of the tour of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nepal that thanks to the leadership of His Highness the Amir, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) succeeded in enhancing joint co-operation with regional and international partners, particularly those facing very similar environmental and climatic challenges.HE Dr al-Subaie said that Qatar plays a strategic role in unifying counter-climate change and environmental sustainability enhancement efforts.He cited the Doha Declaration of the 16th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Co-operation Dialogue, held in Doha in 2019, which highlighted the importance of regional co-operation as the main mechanism to accelerate achieving the three sustainable development pillars: social and economic developments and the protection of the environment, along with the Asian region’s stability, in its diverse and vast natural and human resources, along with its rich historical heritage, and its economic and social capabilities.The minister said that the Doha Declaration stressed the importance of co-operation to counter the repercussions of climate change and natural disaster, as well as the need to take appropriate measures to deal with water and food shortages, in addition to supporting research and development activities related to green energy and agricultural technologies.He also touched upon the participation of the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nepal in the Expo 2023 Doha, saying that their participation played a role in the development of co-operation and the exchange of expertise with Qatar in the field of environmental protection and climate change mitigation.HE Dr al-Subaie noted that Asian countries possess extensive expertise in various fields, including in natural resource management, agriculture, and climate change adaptation and protecting the environment.He said that the wise leadership attaches a lot of importance to the environment and climate change, setting them as issues that call for international action to prevent their catastrophic impacts on world populations.HE Dr al-Subaie added Qatar’s contribution in this field is multifaceted, with the country effectively participating in dialogue and initiatives prioritising the environment and climate action, discussing the framework for joint action on regional and global challenges, and enhancing regional co-operation to ensure collective action for a more sustainable and resilient future.The minister cited Qatar’s active participation in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which was hosted by the United Arab Emirates, by establishing a special pavilion for the accompanying exhibition to introduce the international community to Qatar’s efforts in issues related to climate change and sustainability.HE Dr al-Subaie said that the pavilion also hosted a number of seminars and dialogue sessions that highlighted Qatar’s experience in combating the effects of climate change, protecting the environment, enhancing aspects of environmental sustainability, and discussing and proposing solutions aimed at reducing its impact on the environment.The minister stated that the MoECC is working on a wide range of environmental measures, projects, and programmes, including on the preservation of the wild environment which included promoting interest in development of meadows, replanting them, preventing encroachments and overgrazing, as well as preventing the dumping of waste and bulldozing the soil.HE Dr al-Subaie said that cleaning and development campaigns are conducted with the participation of all segments of society, preserving the sea and the coast, preventing dredging, filling and marine pollution, protecting endangered animals, striving to multiply them and preserving their genetic imprint.The minister added that the joint environmental and climate action between Qatar and the countries of the region and the world is consistent in goals and vision with the plans and strategies launched by the MoECC (Qatar National Environment and Climate Change Strategy, and the National Climate Change Action Plan 2030), which laid out a clear road map for how the country can fulfil its obligations to mitigate the effects of climate change.HE Dr al-Subaie stated that these moves came within the environmental sustainability axis of the third national development strategy, which comes in implementation of the Qatar National Vision 2030 that placed environmental development among its four pillars.The minister added that the National Action Plan for Climate Change, which is considered a qualitative leap at the local level to confront the phenomenon of climate change, includes more than 35 initiatives to reduce emissions, and more than 300 initiatives to adapt to its effects, ensuring that emissions and greenhouse gases are reduced by 25% from all sectors by the year 2030.