Riyadh, (TDI): Stressing rehabilitation of degraded land, Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister for Environment has said that regional and international cooperation is pivotal in addressing environmental challenges.
Speaking at the 26th meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council ministers responsible for environmental affairs in Qatar, Saudi Minister for environment, water, and agriculture Mansour Al-Mushaiti emphasized that collaboration is essential for the resilience of drought-prone communities, Saudi state-run media said Wednesday.
The Kingdom is leading environmental protection efforts in the region through the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to protect 30 percent of the nation’s land and marine areas by 2030.
Saudi Arabia’s National Environment Strategy provides a framework focused on conserving biodiversity, preventing land degradation, and advancing global coral reef research.
Speaking on the occasion, Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said that environmental protection and reversing climate change impacts have become core priorities for countries in the region.
“On the international front, collective cooperation to address climate change and other environmental challenges has become essential among all countries, he further said.
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He added that GCC nations are working to enhance environmental policies, promote renewable energy, and reduce carbon emissions to strike a balance between development and environmental preservation.
Addressing the meeting, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Mushaiti urged GCC nations to ratify the Middle East Green Initiative Charter and set national targets for tree planting and land rehabilitation.
In May, Saudi Arabia committed $2.5 billion to the Middle East Green Initiative to further environmental sustainability across the region.
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Al-Mushaiti also noted that the upcoming COP16 in Saudi Arabia this December will play a significant role in advancing international efforts to reduce land degradation.
On another occasion earlier this month, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli highlighted the Kingdom’s environmental progress through the National Environment Strategy and the Saudi Green Initiative.
