This came as part of the Environment Society’s participation in the “Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP28“, in the blue zone designated for official delegations, governments and stakeholders, as it is the only Kuwaiti civil organization that has observer status in the ”United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC”.
The association commends the Arab League’s keenness to hold a meeting of the Arab negotiators group with Arab civil society organizations to enrich discussions, better convey the voice of civil society institutions, and benefit from their observations and studies in the negotiations. This may be one of the best and most beneficial practices at the climate summit.
The Environment Society participated in the meeting of the “Arab Negotiators Group” at COP28, co-chaired by the Minister Plenipotentiary at the League of Arab States, Dr. Mahmoud Fathallah, and Dr. Al-Baraa Tawfiq from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Society was represented at the meeting by Environmental Engineer Youssef Abdul-Redha Al-Ramzi, the official spokesperson and founding member of the Environmental Engineers Team, and Society member Engineer Ahmed Al-Hazim.
In this regard, Mr. Youssef Al-Ramzi explained that “the meeting of Arab negotiators with civil society institutions is a daily meeting organized by the Arab Negotiators Group under the auspices of the League of Arab States. The meeting is chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in partnership with the League of Arab States, represented by Dr. Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of the Environment Department at the Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of the Environment, and from Saudi Arabia, Dr. Al-Baraa Tawfiq,” noting that “the meeting with the Arab Negotiators Group opens the door for civil society, including associations and networks, to participate, in addition to youth and women, to discuss the questions and proposals of civil society institutions.”.
He added, “Discussions focused on establishing continuous communication between Arab negotiators and civil society organizations across the Arab world. The importance of creating an international platform for disseminating information on the latest developments in the environmental field was emphasized, along with supporting civil society through funding, capacity building, and increased participation. A mechanism for their effective involvement in meetings was also discussed, as was the need to clarify and integrate the role of civil society through an independent body within the League of Arab States. Regarding scientific research, the limited size of working groups hinders and obstructs scientific publication, forcing us to focus on one aspect and move on to the next without delving into the details. As for international communication, the League of Arab States promised to address this issue in intensive meetings in the coming days.”.
It is worth noting that the Arab negotiators, or the Arab Group, at the Dubai Climate Summit emphasized the need to activate the principle of shared responsibility and equity as outlined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which supports different approaches to addressing emissions according to varying national circumstances and priorities. They stressed the importance of strengthening adaptation capacities and reducing vulnerability to climate change within the 1.5°C target, but stated that this adaptation is contingent upon developed countries providing financial and technical support to developing countries to achieve the goals of sustainable development and poverty reduction.
