Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), November 12 (QNA) – The World Health Organization Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ahmed Al Mandhari visited the State of Qatar pavilion as part of the activities of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Al Mandhari was briefed on the Qatar’s National Environment and Climate Change Strategy (QNE), one of the main pillars of achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030, and is in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the State of Qatar’s ambition to reach a leadership position in the region, through the implementation of many projects and initiatives that contribute to reducing air pollutants, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and increasing reliance on renewable energy sources.
The WHO Regional Director listened to an explanation from those in charge of the Qatari pavilion, who addressed the efforts made by the State of Qatar in this regard, as the creation of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change confirms the continuous interest and unlimited support given by the wise leadership to environmental and climate issues.
QNE covers five areas: greenhouse gas emissions and air quality, biodiversity and water, circular economy, waste management and land use. A governance system has been developed to implement the strategy, in order to achieve the set goals by 2030, most notably reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent, establishing 30 air quality monitoring stations, and increasing the number of nature reserves.
During his visit to the Qatari pavilion, Al Mandhari expressed his great admiration for the design of sports stadiums that comply with international environmental standards, in preparation for hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, hoping for the success of Qatar in showing a distinguished version of this tournament.
In a related context, the State of Qatar’s pavilion held on the 7th day of the COP27 conference a discussion session entitled “adaptation to climate change”, in which Helena McLeod from the Global Green Growth Institute spoke about Qatar’s national planning for adaptation through climate risk assessment.
During the panel discussion, guests discussed the issue of integrated desert farming: the next front in the fight against climate change, in which Vinay Nangia from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) spoke.
Dr. Yuji Masutomi from the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan reviewed Japan’s approach to adaptation planning to climate change, while the session concluded with a discussion on nature-based solutions to adapt to climate change, in which Dr. Radhouane Hamadou from Qatar University spoke. (QNA)
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