The Secretary General of the Organization of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, has emphasized that the challenges of environmental degradation, climate change, water, food and energy security are global, requiring coordinated national, regional and international response.
Al-Othaimeen stressed in his opening remarks, during the 8th Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers (ICEM) held,under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,at the Headquarters of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in Rabat, Morocco, on 2-3 October 2019, that historically the share of the OIC countries in greenhouse gas emissions and global warming has been negligible;still, the countries are among the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
The Secretary General underscored the importance that OIC attaches to issues pertaining to environmental protection and energy security, given the peculiar challenges facing OIC countries due to population growth, depletion of resources, environmental degradation and climate change.
Al-Othaimeen reiterated the OIC’s commitment to continue working with the Member States to identify and mobilize expertise and practicalmechanisms, which are consistent with the political, economic and cultural objectives of the Member Countries.
The 8th Ministerial Session, which was jointly chaired by the OIC and ISESCO, approved a number of proposals for increasing intra-OIC collaboration that include adoption of strategies to actively involve all stakeholders including scholars, and most importantly the youth in the protection of the environment and achievement of sustainable development.
During the conference, the winners of the second edition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World (KSAAEM)were given prizes.The gathering appreciated the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by institutionalizingthe awardto acknowledge and encourage professionals who are working in the OIC countries to improve environmental sustainability.