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AFED Holds its Regional Conference in Beirut in November: Report on the Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries

Beirut, July 28, 2009 -The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) announced in a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday that its Board of Trustees has chosen the Lebanese capital as a venue for its annual conference, to convene next November on the theme of the impact of climate change on Arab countries. The conference will be under the patronage of the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Suleiman.

AFED's Secretary General Najib Saab conveyed to correspondents gathering at the headquarters of the Press Federation, in the presence of its president Mr. Mohamed Baalbaki, that the choice of Beirut as this year's venue was proposed by the Environment Authority-Abu Dhabi, an AFED institutional member, which will be the official sponsor of the event. The conference, scheduled on November 19-20 at Habtoor Grand Hotel and Convention Center, is expected to attract over 500 top Arab and international delegates, including 30 Ministers of Energy and Environment.

AFED, a regional organization established in 2006, has its Secretariat hosted in Beirut, where it had been granted the status of an international organization. It is an observer member with the League of Arab States and the United Nations Environment Program. AFED held its General Assembly sessions in the past two years in Abu Dhabi and Manama, consecutively. In 2008, it released a groundbreaking report entitled 'Arab Environment: Future Challenges', which traced the state of Arab environment and issued recommendations for remedial action, which were later endorsed by many national and regional bodies.

The Lebanese Minister of Environment, Dr. Tony Karam, welcomed the choice of Beirut as a venue for the 2009 AFED convention on climate change, noting its special relevance as part of the preparations for the Copenhagen conference in December, which will agree on a post-Kyoto deal. "The Beirut meeting will help to develop a common Arab position in Copenhagen, through presenting the latest scientific evidence and opening meaningful debate on required measures," explained Dr. Karam. Thanking the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) for supporting Beirut as venue and for acting in the capacity of official sponsor of the regional event, Dr. Karam highlighted the leading role of the United Arab Emirates in promoting clean and renewable energy, through the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) . He further congratulated the UAE for the choice of Abu Dhabi as the seat of the newly established International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The minister confirmed his support to the AFED conference at all official levels.

AFED's Secretary General, Najib Saab, declared that a group of leading Arab scientists and researchers were working on a comprehensive report covering all aspects of climate change impacts in the Arab region, under the leadership of world environment veteran Dr. Mostafa Kamal Tolba, former executive director of UNEP, Dr. Mohamed El-Ashry, former CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and renowned expert on coastal zones Dr. Mohamed El-Raey. Director of the Environment Program at Arab Gulf University, Dr. Ibrahim Abdelgelil, is carrying an analytical survey on mitigation measures in Arab countries. A pioneering study on the impact of climate change on human health is carried out by Dr. Iman Nuwayhid, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut. Other topics include the impact of climate change on food production, fresh water, biodiversity, infrastructure and tourism. Studies are also being prepared on the international negotiations for a post-Kyoto agreement, and what needs to be done by Arab countries to face climate change.

Saab disclosed that one main feature of the report is a study carried out especially for AFED at the Center of Remote Sensing of Boston University (CRS-BU), using satellite images to analyze potential impact of climate change on the Arab countries. The images are being developed by Dr. Eman Ghoneim, research professor at CRS-BU, who will give a vivid presentation at the Beirut conference, including details of impacts of sea level rise on the coasts of Nile Delta and western Emirates. The director of the Center, the renowned scientist Dr. Farouk El-Baz, will be giving a presentation entitled: When the Desert was Green.

Other speakers include Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Youba Sokona, Executive Secretary of Sahel and Sahara Observatory, Atiq Rahman, Chairman of Climate Action Network South Asia and Gunilla Carlson, Swedish Minister of Development Cooperation and Chair of the International Commission on Climate and Environment. A special plenary session will be dedicated to discuss how shifting to green economy can help fight climate change, during which corporate leaders who participated in seven regional workshops on the subject of Green Arab Economy, organized by AFED and UNEP, will present experiences and recommendations to rehabilitate the Arab economy along green path.

AFED Board of Trustees, comprising 21 members from 14 countries, will be holding its annual meeting in Beirut on the 18^th of November.

AFED said that the conference was made possible by the generous support of the official sponsor, Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, along with technical support of UNEP and OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and other corporate sponsors of AFED members including Petrofac, AMSI for educational solutions, Kharafi National, Alturki Environmental, AVERDA International, Qatar Petroleum, Aramex and Weber Shandwick. The conference has 12 regional media partners, who will carry out promotion and awareness campaigns through the month of November.

Updated information can be found on: www.afedonline.org

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About AFED
Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) is a not-for-profit international non-governmental organization, which brings the business community together with experts, civil society and media to promote prudent environmental policies and programmes across the Arab region.

Established in Beirut in 2006, AFED has subsequently gained the status of an international organization with privileges and immunities, and has been accredited as observer member to the League of Arab States (LAS) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The main product of AFED is a periodic expert report on Arab Environment, tracking developments and proposing policy measures. Other initiatives include a regional Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER) program, capacity building for Arab civil society organizations, public awareness and environmental education.

For more information, please contact:
AFED: Michella Bou Nader
Tel: +961-1 321800, +961 70124506
Email: mbounader@afedonline.org

Weber Shandwick
Dima El Masri
Tel: + 961-1-428428
Email: dima.masri@ws-mena.com
Web: www.afedonline.org

Arab Forum for Environment and Development
Tel: (+961) 1 321800
Fax: (+961) 1 321900
Email: info@afedonline.org
P.O. Box 113-5474, Beirut, Lebanon

© Press Release 2009