On September 11, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia underscored the crucial role of both regional and international collaboration in tackling environmental challenges, particularly in rehabilitating degraded lands and enhancing the resilience of communities and ecosystems to drought. This was emphasized by Eng. Mansour Al Mushaiti, Vice Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, during the 26th meeting of GCC ministers responsible for environmental affairs, which took place today in Qatar.
During his remarks, Al Mushaiti urged GCC countries to endorse the Middle East Green Initiative Charter, incorporating national targets for tree planting and land rehabilitation as part of the initiative’s objectives. He also called for increased support from national development funds within the GCC for projects aimed at vegetation development across the region.
Al Mushaiti highlighted that the GCC meetings have played a pivotal role in advancing environmental initiatives and achieving sustainable development goals. He stressed the need to address key areas such as environmental protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and the balancing of development with the preservation of natural resources.
Looking forward, Al Mushaiti expressed optimism about the forthcoming 16th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Conference of the Parties (COP16), which Saudi Arabia will host in December. He hopes that this conference will significantly contribute to global efforts to combat land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought. Al Mushaiti called for active participation from all GCC countries, as well as states parties to the agreement, international and regional organizations, the private sector, and civil society in the conference’s activities.