ShareJEDDAH: The first session of the ministerial council for the Middle East Green Initiative kicked off today in Jeddah, chaired by Saudi Arabia, with participation from Kuwait represented by the Acting General Manager of the Environment Public Authority Samira Al-Kandari. In her speech during the meeting, Kandari confirmed Kuwait’s support for the initiative aimed at enhancing cooperation to combat land degradation and promote sustainable management of vegetation.
She said the initiative represents a pioneering step toward a sustainable environmental future by reducing carbon emissions and increasing green spaces in the region. She emphasized the importance of collective efforts to address climate change while preserving natural resources for future generations. Kandari noted Kuwait’s progress in ratifying the initiative’s charter and launching several projects beneficial to it, including the planting of mangroves, establishing a seed bank for indigenous plants, and expanding green spaces through increased protected areas, along with projects to rehabilitate contaminated and degraded soils.
The session was chaired by the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, and the ministerial council is expected to make important decisions to initiate the implementation phase of the initiative. Kuwait’s delegation included, alongside Head of the delegation Al-Kandari, the Director of Environmental Rehabilitation and Activity Monitoring, Shaima Al-Fadhli, and from the International Relations Department of the Public Authority for the Environment, Talal Al-Ali and Mustafa Al-Zuhair.
The initiative aims to plant 50 billion trees across the Middle East and support regional efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to a greener future in the region. Saudi Arabia launched the Middle East Green Initiative in March 2021, aiming to mitigate the effects of climate change in the Middle East and North Africa, and announced in November 2022 a budget allocation of $2.5 billion to support the initiative and cover its operational budget for ten years, in addition to hosting its secretariat in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. — KUNA
