Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 05/10/2010
Tunis, 5-7 October 2010 His Excellency President Zine El Abidine, His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud General President of Meteorology and Environment Protection in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Excellencies, the Ministers of Environment, Excellency Dr. Abdul Aziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General ISESCO, Honourable delegates, Ladies and gentlemen At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the government of Tunisian Republic for hosting and making excellent arrangements for this conference. I thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for providing the financial support for holding this meeting. On behalf of the OIC General Secretariat, I would also like to thank the Islamic Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and its Director General for organizing this conference. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Against the backdrop of recent devastating floods in Pakistan and natural disasters elsewhere, this meeting on the theme of “Natural Disasters and Prevention Ways” has great significance and relevance. The ever increasing number of natural disasters is a stark reminder of the need to urgently address the issues of environment, global warming and climate change. It also underscores the imperative for the OIC Member States to develop their national as well as collective capacities to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies in a more effective and timely manner. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Recognizing the need for addressing environmental challenges and the necessity of cooperation and adoption of effective measures to protect the environment, the previous Islamic Conferences of Environment Ministers adopted a number of landmark documents and plans in the area of environment and sustainable development. It is encouraging to note the progress being registered on various fronts by the Member States, OIC General Secretariat and relevant OIC institutions towards the implementation of the recommendations of the previous conferences. We need to work in tandem for better equipping ourselves in the areas of environmental conservation, preventative measures against natural disasters and adoption of sustainable development approaches and policies. I commend the hosting of the first meeting of the Islamic Executive Bureau of Environment in January this year, under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz, General President of Meteorology and Environment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The meeting identified a number of crucial issues and concrete actions to deal with them. Provision of clean drinking water and water resources management is an important aspect of the environment debate and consideration of preventive measures against the negative impact of climate change. At the initiative of the OIC General Secretariat, a special meeting of the Ministers responsible for Water from the OIC regions was held to discuss water problems faced by Ummah during the 5th World Water Forum held in Istanbul in March 2009. The meeting requested the OIC General Secretariat to formulate concrete proposals for solving the water issues through preparation of an OIC Water Vision and establishment of an OIC Water Council. The first expert level meeting for the preparation of OIC Water Vision was held in Dubai in May 2010. Subsequently, in collaboration with IDB draft OIC Water Vision has been completed by experts. The second meeting of experts is scheduled for early 2011. We hope that the Water Vision will be available for Member States to review in coming months before the Conference of the Ministers responsible for water is held. Turkey has offered to host this meeting. I would also like to express my appreciation for the work being done by the Islamic Environment Information Center in Jeddah and encourage the Member States and relevant institutions to provide necessary information, data and statistics to the Center to facilitate exchange of expertise and experience in the field of environment. SESRIC on its part is also playing an important role by collating and analyzing a database of environmental indications in the Member states. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Environment conservation and prevention of natural disasters require multi-sectoral approaches and comprehensive and integrated sustainable development policies in the Member States. We have to look at a host of factors and variables in order to address the environmental challenges we face today. We have to deal not only with issues of deforestation, soil degradation, water resource management, bio-diversity, carbon emissions, global warming and climate change but also deal in an integrated manner with matters pertaining to population explosion, poverty alleviation as well as rural and urban development policies and priorities. We must focus on to capacity building, development of expertise and training of professionals in the relevant fields. Member States will have to focus on developing and strengthening environmental legislations and regulatory frameworks and integration of environmental dimension in development plans and socio-economic projects. We should look at ways and means of benefiting from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and establishment of a carbon exchange scheme at three levels: national, intro-OIC and international. I encourage the Member States to take advantage of the funding mechanisms for human and institutional capacity-building in this regard and means available at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as the provisions of Kyoto Protocol. I call upon those OIC Member States which have ongoing CDM projects to share their experience with other OIC members for them to benefit from the project. Promotion of clean energies and green technologies is one area which needs specific attention of the Member States, the OIC General Secretariat, the Standing Committee on Science and Technology (COMSTECH) and other relevant institutions within the OIC system. In its first meeting, the Executive Bureau of Environment approved the establishment of His Royal Highness Turki bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz Special Chair for Environment studies in universities of the most vulnerable OIC countries exposed to the adverse impact of climate change. We need to follow up on the implementation of this project. While drawing up comprehensive plans for the protection of environment, reducing carbon emissions, preserving biodiversity and other preventative measures, we must also establish early warning, contingency planning and emergency response mechanisms within the OIC. I have tasked the Humanitarian Affairs Department of the General Secretariat to examine the establishment of an emergency fund to deal with natural disasters and catastrophes. This is particularly important in view of the threat of an increase in the incidence of natural disasters resulting from global warming and climate change. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I am confident that in your deliberations you will be focusing in depth on all the issues which need our immediate attention and come up with recommendations for concrete action. I conclude by expressing my best wishes for the success of this conference. Thank you
