DOHA - Qatar will soon come out with a policy document on the country's environmental affairs. As a precursor to it, a three day workshop on Integrated Environment Assessment (IEA) and Reporting began at Movenpick Hotel, yesterday.
The workshop is being jointly organised by the Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves (SCENR) and United Nations Environment programme (UNEP)
Environment experts, senior officials of Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves (SCENR) are attending the workshop.
Addressing the opening session, Dr Adel M Farid Abdel Kader, West Asia regional Coordinator, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said the objective of preparing the document is to help building national capacity on IEA in Qatar, which would help the country in the policy formulation and decision making regarding a sustainable development.
"The IEA will look beyond the traditional system of environment reports. It will address the questions like" what is happening to the country's environment and why it is happening so? And its possible consequences," said Dr Abdel. The environmental, economic and social performances of the companies in the private sector will also be subjected to an environmental auditing, he added.
During the three day workshop, the UNEP officials will introduce the concept of IEA to the participants. They will explain how to conduct the integrated assessment and discuss the key stake holders and who could be the potential partners on the process of preparing the document. It will discuss the orientation and objectives of the training, UNEP's approach to IEA, purpose, legal mandate, target groups, analysis of environmental trends and polices in Qatar.
Later, talking to The Peninsula, Dr Abdel Kader and Dr Asma Ali Abahussain, expert, Desert and Arid Zone Science Studies, said the document will address the priority environment issues of Qatar. The report will help decision makers to deal with problems based on scientific knowledge.
Dr Asma Ali Abahussain said the IEA of Qatar will also form the part of UNEP's proposed fourth Global Environment Outlook (GEO), which is expected to be launched in 2007. The national reports will help UNEP to harmonise the global report, she said.
Environment experts, senior officials of SCENR and representatives from various government agencies and industries are attending the workshop.
© The Peninsula 2006
