OAPEC stresses on environment protection
KUWAIT: Secretary General of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), Jamal Al-Loughani, affirmed on Sunday the importance of the oil and gas sectors in the process of finding solutions to environmental issues and climate change. This came in a statement to KUNA during a training workshop on climate change by OAPEC in cooperation with the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) for diplomats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Al-Loughani added that OAPEC continued to make efforts with member states, other Arab countries, and regional and international organizations in order to unify visions on environmental issues and climate change. He also said that regarding the ongoing negotiations on climate change issues, a global platform is held annually, which is the Conference of the Parties, or what is known as “COP.” He said that the international process of negotiations to combat climate change began during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, after which the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was established.
He stressed that hosting such summits by Arab countries indicates their keenness to confront the negative consequences of climate change, which can be achieved through continued cooperation between various countries by reducing the emission rates of greenhouse gases. He stated that during the “UAE Declaration,” all parties were committed to an unprecedented agreement to transition away from the use of fossil fuels in energy systems to achieve zero emissions by 2050.
He noted that the UAE succeeded in COP 28 in reaching a consensus among the state parties on key issues that remained unresolved for long periods in previous conferences. The two-day workshop aims to develop the cadres of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and expand their circle of interests in developments related to climate change issues.