Arab climate activists to March in Doha next saturday

Marking the the UN Climate Change Conference (COP18) and the 8th meeting of the Kyoto Protocol Parties (CMP 8) hosted by Qatar from November 26 to December 07, thousands of activists from across the Arab region and around the world will march in Doha, Qatar this Saturday, 01 December to demand urgent action to address climate change at the UN negotiations taking place until 7 December. The march is thought to be the first ever event of its kind in the history of modern-day Qatar. Activists from more than 15 Arab countries such as Qatar, Mauritania, Morocco, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain will also call on their own leaders, during the first climate negotiations ever held in the Middle East, to pledge to reduce their emissions by 2020. The march is supported by regional and international NGO networks such as IndyACT, OASIS Doha, 350.org, Climate Action Network, and the global TckTckTck campaign, as well as youth activists who were instrumental in the Arab spring and are now organized in the newly founded Arab Youth Climate Movement. The youth climate movement – another first of its kind in the Arab world – unites hundreds of grass roots activists from across the region. Earlier on 10 November, activists staged a regional Day of Action in the lead up to the UN climate talks in Doha.