Al-Zayani hails GCC environmental efforts, achievements

The achievements realized on the level of environment work in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reflect diligent efforts, GCC Secretary-General GCC Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani said here on Thursday.
Creating a safe, stable, flourishing and sustainable environment in the GCC countries is a major target the bloc is seeking to accomplish, Al-Zayani told the opening session of 18th meeting of ministers in charge of environment affairs in the GCC that opened here today.
Al-Zayani stressed the great attention paid by the bloc's leaders to environment work since the GCC was established.
He added that relevant resolutions by the GCC Supreme Council have constituted remarkable stops on the march of the environment work for achieving the goals of sustainable development and economic and social stability.
The GCC Chief referred to the regional plan for preparedness and countering radiation and nuclear events in the member states endorsed by the 133th meeting of the ministerial council held in Doha to prepare for the GCC Summit.
The GCC Emergency Management Center has been tasked with carrying out the plan, Al-Zayani said, noting that it has also been decided that a four-task group would continue work to implement the results of the strategic study prepared by a Canadian consultancy house.
In addition, the GCC Secretariat will be working on completing a program for training cadres in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Union (EU).
The GCC Secretariat and the Emergency Management Center organized a workshop in September on assessing regional risks, attended by 70 experts, Al-Zayani said. The event drew up a record of the potential risks in the region.
Al-Zayani addressed the risks posed to water in the GCC, namely rarity and potential pollution, urging further work on prevention, and preservation of water resources as an indispensable element of sustainable development.
He stressed in that respect the issue of developing water desalination technologies, calling upon the concerned authorities to discuss it in detail, considering the dire need for the GCC states to own the latest techniques in the field.
Al-Zayani also pointed out the distinguished efforts by the Environment Public Authority (EPA) which he visited on Wednesday, when he recommended taking advantage of Kuwait's experiment for establishing a GCC electronic data interchange to help exchange information and experience among the member states.
Meanwhile, he expressed gratitude to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the Kuwaiti government and people for backing the joint GCC action.
The items on the agenda of the 18th session are the outcome of hard work and efforts by the GCC Secretariat and several committees, Kuwait's Minister of Oil and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Ali Saleh Al-Omair told the event.
Al-Omair addressed the proposed e-interchange which will function as a window for promoting environment activities in the GCC, keeping pace with the bloc's official environment-related developments in GCC. It will also offer researchers smooth access to reliable GCC environment information, he said.
One of the major issues on the meeting's agenda is establishing a network for the deteriorating land in the GCC, aiming to boost cooperation for realizing sustainable development of it.
Other topics will address cooperation with the UN Environment Program (UNEP), the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment, the World Bank (WB) and cooperation within a strategic program with Turkey, Jordan and Morocco for exchanging of expertise.