Qatar chairs 3rd technical committee meeting to prepare for meetings of GCC undersecretaries for environmental affairs

The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC), chaired today the 3rd meeting of the technical committee to prepare for the meetings of the undersecretaries responsible for environmental affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Chaired by Director of the Environmental Assessment and Permit Department at the MECC Ahmed Al Ibrahim, with the participation of all member states, the meeting addressed a number of priority topics, most notably the Supreme Council's decision on the environmental trends of the GCC countries for the year 2020 'requirements of the current situation', the agreement to preserve wildlife and its natural habitats in the GCC countries, and the strategic plan of the committee of ministers responsible for environmental affairs and the extent of its implementation.

The meeting also discussed a number of items, including: the Supreme Council's decision on non-tariff restrictions related to the environment, the strategic plan of the committee of ministers responsible for environmental affairs, the GCC environmental portal, the 16th conference of the parties to the United Nations convention to combat desertification, the establishment of a GCC center for environmental and climate studies, the preparation of a GCC index, and a study of the impact of dust and its relationship to global health standards, its sources and components.

Participants also reviewed a set of items to inform the committee on what has been achieved, including: the Middle East green initiative launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the conference of the parties to the framework convention on climate change "COP 28", the unification of positions in the meetings of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, and the participation in the GCC pavilion at the International Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha.

The meeting concluded with a number of recommendations that will be presented to the next meeting of the committee of Their Excellencies the undersecretaries responsible for environmental affairs scheduled to be held in September 2024