Event “Introducing the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict – November 6” at the Climate Summit

The Kuwait Environment Protection Society organized a seminar to raise awareness about November 6, the “International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflicts,” at the COP27 Climate Summit, which coincides with its convening. The seminar was hosted by the official State of Kuwait pavilion at the summit held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The Society indicated that the attendees responded positively to the visual presentation presented by the Society.

Dr. Wijdan Aloqab, President of the Association, emphasized that “the symposium included the importance of November 6 and its introduction, and it lies in the world’s need to pay attention to the damages that result to the environment from this perspective, spatially and temporally, as they are transboundary and affect neighboring countries, and the damage extends temporally across successive generations due to its impact on natural resources such as fish stocks, vegetation cover, and groundwater,” noting that “the cost of rehabilitation and repair is much greater than the cost of preventing damage when the environment is used as a tool of war.”.

Dr. Aloqab noted, “The attendees interacted regarding the similarity of Kuwait’s experience to what is on the map of Arab countries that have been exposed to wars and military conflicts, which calls for concerted efforts to remember the most important points to prevent the continuation of this, as these damages enhance the severity of climate change and its effects such as drought due to the deterioration of vegetation cover and the impact on water and food security.”.

She praised the logistical support provided by the Environment Public Authority and the State of Kuwait’s pavilion to Kuwaiti civil society organizations, adding: “This is something we should acknowledge and thank the Authority and its Director General, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah, for the warm welcome and his visit to the association’s pavilion and for hosting its activities and events in the official State of Kuwait pavilion.”.