The Kuwait Environment Protection Society announced that it is “the only Kuwaiti civil society organization accredited as an observer in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and based on that, the Society has diligently sought to obtain the largest number of seats in the Blue Zone, which includes governments and stakeholders at the Climate Summit currently being held in the United Arab Emirates, and indeed it has achieved what it sought by obtaining 16 seats in the Blue Zone over the two weeks of the COP 28 Summit, in addition to a pavilion in the Summit Exhibition.”.
The Kuwait Environment Protection Society confirmed that, for the first time, the Society obtained the approval of the Summit Secretariat to allocate seats for young environmentalists, under the name (Summit Juniors COP Minors), but unfortunately, it was not able to participate in COP 28 with the delegation and was deprived of benefiting from all the arrangements that had been carefully prepared in advance based on the allocation of 16 seats for it for the two weeks of the Summit.
She added, “Despite all the obstacles, and in accordance with its social responsibilities, the association invited several Kuwaiti associations with expertise, taking advantage of the 16 seats allocated to the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, on the condition that the associations bear the costs of participation at their own expense. Indeed, two seats were allocated to the Kuwaiti Water Association and two seats to the Kuwaiti Association for Crisis and Emergency Management, wishing them a successful participation.”.
The association explained that “since the announcement of the summit being held in Dubai, it has been in continuous communication and meetings with partners in the United Nations Environment Programme for West Asia, the Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED), the League of Arab States, the State of Kuwait’s pavilion, and the Gulf Cooperation Council’s pavilion to coordinate and prepare for a large and effective participation with multiple programs, workshops, and pavilions throughout the days of the summit, in the blue and green zones. The association has prepared a program full of events.“.
The Environment Society explained in its statement that the program of events that the Society had prepared in advance included participation in more than 10 lectures, two side events and an exhibition in the days allocated following the World Climate Action Summit: “Health, well-being and peace, finance, trade and equality, energy, industry and indigenous peoples, cities, building environments and transport, youth, children and education, nature, land use and oceans, food, agriculture and water.”.
In its statement, the association considered that “the lack of financial support to cover the financial cost, including travel tickets and hotels, was a major obstacle to the association’s participation in the summit, and it was limited to a three-member delegation consisting of Dr. Shaker Al-Hazim in the first week and Engineer Yousef Abdul-Redha Al-Ramzi and Engineer Ahmed Al-Hazim in the second week. Despite the association’s numerous appeals, communications and attempts with many entities in the state, companies and institutions from the private sector, including Kuwaiti banks, to provide financial support for the costs of participation, which failed, thus depriving the State of Kuwait of this large number of seats, especially in the blue zone.”.
The Kuwait Environment Protection Society, with its fifty-year history of community environmental work in Kuwait since its inception in 1974, urges “state officials to consider supporting its international participation in climate summits and international environmental events and forums to contribute to announcing the leadership and excellence of the community environmental work sector and its civil organizations, and to encourage those governmental and institutional bodies that provide financial support and sponsorships to raise and show more actual and realistic announcements of their participation in social responsibility towards the groups and segments included in the programs and projects of Kuwaiti civil organizations, especially towards the environment.”.
