Saudi Arabia will chair the 5th conference of environment ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Thursday.
Head of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) Prince Turki bin Nasser, who is also chairman of the executive office of the OIC environment ministers, said the conference would finalize the draft Islamic declaration on sustainable development, which will then be presented at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 20-22. The conference will also discuss a host of other issues related to environment and sustainable growth in the Islamic countries.
Speaking to a local Arabic daily, Prince Turki said the Astana conference was based on the guidelines of the Tunis Declaration adopted by the 4th Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers held in October 2010. The declaration also called for strengthening sustainable development in the Islamic world in a way that ensures protection of environment.
According to the PME chief, the conference will review the progress and achievements made by the OIC member countries in major environment issues related with sustainable development since the last global summit on sustainable development held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002. "The conference will also discuss the report of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) about its efforts in achieving sustainable development in the OIC member countries over the last 10 years," he said.
Ministers of environment from 57 OIC member countries in addition to representatives of several international and regional organizations and panels will attend the conference. These organizations include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Arab League, Islamic Development Bank, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, North Africa Office of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission, Muhammad VI Foundation for Environment Protection, and Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe.
© Arab News 2012
