Jordan working towards green economy Environment minister

The Economic and Social Council on Tuesday discussed the environmental aspect of the Country Status Report, as part of a series of discussion sessions with a group of experts from the public and private sectors.

After a briefing on the key points in the report, Environment Minister Muawieh Radaideh said that the recommendations in the report’s environment aspect will be reviewed and addressed, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister added that Jordan is working with the relevant global system to shift to a green economy, as the world moves towards addressing climate change challenges and its impact on the environment sector.

He stressed the importance of setting and achieving goals in order to help countries face environmental challenges, noting that the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident in the Middle East.

Radaideh also stressed the importance of connecting the environmental aspects of development to economic and societal ones in order to reach sustainability, in addition to networking among the water, energy and food sectors to realise food and environmental security.

Secretary General of the council Mitri Mdanat highlighted the importance of a green economy to preserve biodiversity, noting that the top challenges facing the environment sector include climate change, increasing population growth and changes in consumption patterns.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment Mohammad Khashashneh referred to the importance of the General Framework Law for Waste Management when working to restructure the environmental sector, which includes civil society organisations, universities and government entities.

Ziad Daradkah, the council’s financial policy coordinator, reviewed the environmental sector’s main strengths and weaknesses, such as lowering the Ministry of Environment’s budget.

During the discussion session, participants underscored the importance of infrastructure rehabilitation, focusing on the green economy, and cooperation between the public, private and environmental sectors to implement plans and strategies.