Doha - Qatar participated in the 'BirdLife International's 2008 World Conservation Conference and Global Partnership Meeting' held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 22 to 27. Dr Saif Al Hajari, Chairman of the Friends of Environment Centre (FEC) and Dr Sadeq Al Awad, Executive Director of the Qatar Birds Project, represented Qatar at the meeting.
Bashir said hundreds of Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from 112 countries took part in the conference. Ten NGOs from Qatar and other Arab nations took part, he said.
He said the conference discussed several issues related to the protection of birds, especially endangered species and their environments, in addition to climate change and global warming and their impact on the conditions of birds worldwide. Birdlife International, Bashir said, praised Qatar's role in the protection of birds and the country's contribution to the implementation of the BirdLife International (BLI) programme. The six-day conference showcased BirdLife's work and provided a rare opportunity for individuals from all over the world to come together to celebrate birds and biodiversity.
FEC's participation in the conference reaffirmed its status as one of the most active BirdLife organisations in the Middle East, basher said.
He said in January this year, FEC launched the Qatar Bird Project to survey, document, and conserve birds in the country;and later opened the Qatar Bird Club for bird lovers in Qatar. He added FEC also played a vital role when Qatar hosted 103 countries during the BLI Conference in May which saw the establishment of a $1m fund for BLI's Middle East programme under the patronage of H E Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani.
© The Peninsula 2008
