Dr. Wijdan Aloqab, President of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, called for “accelerating national, regional, and global efforts to address climate change and promote the transition towards low-emission development and the building of more resilient societies to climate impacts.” This came on the occasion of World Environment Day, which falls on Friday, June 5th this year, under the theme “Action for Climate.” She emphasized the importance of an effective response to growing environmental challenges, starting with action at the local level.
She considered that ”celebrating World Environment Day is an opportunity to renew the collective commitment to protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development, which will ensure a safe and prosperous future for future generations in the Arab region, as well as representing a message to consolidate environmental awareness and stimulate joint action at the governmental and societal levels to address environmental challenges, foremost among them pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity and unsustainable consumption.”.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, Aloqab affirms: “The Kuwait Environment Protection Society is proud to have made outstanding contributions in the field of environmental work at the local, Gulf, regional and international levels since 1974, over a period of more than 52 years. It has been accredited by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and has active memberships in international environmental entities that have proven their worth in their field during these years.”.
She pointed to the association’s rich historical record on all levels, including that “it is one of the first associations in the Arab world in environmental affairs, and contributed to calling for the establishment of the General Authority for the Environment, and contributed to the establishment of some reserves in the State of Kuwait, and presented the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Military Conflicts, as well as its contribution to the development of Environmental Protection Law No. 42 of 2014 and is still working and participating in its proposed amendments, and at the level of education it presented the Green Schools Program in which it contributed to raising environmental awareness among school students, and established the base of environmental media through a series of documentary programs to document wildlife in the State of Kuwait, which includes more than nine television seasons.”.
She pointed out that “the Environment Society established the Gulf Network of NGOs for Environmental Protection and heads its executive office, and has many memberships in many international environmental entities, including, but not limited to, its membership in the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction (GNDR), the Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED), the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the BirdLife International Organization, and others too numerous to mention in the context.“.
She added, “This global movement begins with local action, and civil society organizations are the cornerstone for structuring such work at a level that allows individuals to participate.” She continued, “We must express our gratitude to the state for its support of civil organizations and associations over the years, enabling them to fulfill their duties to the fullest extent,” and called for continued funding to ensure the sustainability of this pioneering volunteer work in the environmental field.
In this context, the Kuwait Environment Protection Society called for the protection of this environmental heritage by continuing to provide material and logistical support for the Society’s activities and events so that it may continue its commendable work inside and outside Kuwait in an honorable manner.
