Sultanate seeks higher role of private sector in environment protection
GENEVA: The Sultanate, represented by the ministry of environment and climate affairs, took part in the conference of the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions which concluded on Friday. The Sultanate’s delegation was led by Abdullah bin Nasser al Rahbi, the Sultanate’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva.
The Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (BC COP13), the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (RC COP8) and the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP8) was held from April 24 to May 5 to foster synergies among the three conventions.
Basel Convention is about the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, Rotterdam Convention is about the Prior Informed
Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Addressing the conference, Al Rahbi stressed the great attention accorded by the Sultanate to the issue of environmental conservation though a dedicated ministry. He highlighted the private sector’s role in mitigating environmental degradation through use of modern technologies in the process of production.
The Sultanate has joined the international community in protecting the environment by raising environmental awareness in line with the international efforts aimed at achieving good management of chemical substances and hazardous waste. In this regard, the Sultanate has been among the leading countries to ratify the international environmental protocols and conventions, Al Rahbi said.