Engineer Yousef Al-Ramzi, the official spokesperson for the Environmental Engineers Team at the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, emphasized “the importance of environmental rights in the State of Kuwait, and the positive impact of observing and adhering to their requirements, not only on citizens and residents, but its impact has become extended and intertwined with all development plans and programs with a strategic dimension, as the environment, in its comprehensive sense, is a key, active, and leading partner in all aspects of life.”.
This came during his participation, as a representative of the Environmental Protection Association, in the meeting of the “National Committee for the Preparation of Reports and Follow-up of Recommendations Related to Human Rights,” held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chaired by it, with civil society organizations active in the field of human rights in the State of Kuwait, in order to discuss the preparation of the State of Kuwait’s fourth periodic report to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, in addition to the second periodic national report to the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
Engineer Yousef Al-Ramzi expressed the Environment Society’s appreciation for the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, for the meeting, and for His Excellency’s keenness and emphasis on extending an invitation to Kuwaiti public benefit associations to seek their opinion and review their views in this regard. He praised the efforts of Her Excellency Sheikha Jawaher Ibrahim Duaij Al-Sabah, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights Affairs, for the Ministry’s hosting and chairing of the meeting of the “National Committee for Preparing Reports and Following Up on Recommendations Related to Human Rights,” which brings together the Ministry with active civil society organizations in this regard in the State of Kuwait, given the importance of discussing the State’s obligations towards international agreements and examining related national achievements.
M. Al-Ramzi said, “With the review by representatives of public benefit associations and Kuwaiti civil organizations present at the meeting of many rights according to various specializations, the Kuwait Environment Protection Society sees the intersection and convergence of environmental rights with all other human rights, given that the environmental rights of citizens and residents are intertwined and overlap with all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in all areas of life and economic, social, educational, health and other developmental fields.“.
He pointed out that “Environmental Protection Law No. 42 of 2014, amended by Law No. 99 of 2015, is a major achievement for the State of Kuwait and a qualitative leap in the history of environmental laws in the region, given that it includes 181 articles that preserve environmental rights on all tracks, including air quality, drinking water quality, pollution control, and other tracks and competencies guaranteed by the law, which enhances and consolidates the importance and status of environmental rights in the country, and proves the pioneering efforts of the State of Kuwait in this field.”.
Engineer Yousef Al-Ramzi stated that “the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, celebrating its golden jubilee today, has been working for fifty years and continues to play a significant role in raising community awareness of these rights across multiple axes of its programs and activities. Perhaps the most prominent and important of these is the documentary series documenting wildlife in the State of Kuwait. These television programs, produced and completed by the Society annually since 2015, have presented more than 250 television episodes over 10 years, such as 'Every Day a Bird,' 'Every Day a Plant,' 'Every Day a Wildlife,' and others. These programs have raised awareness of environmental elements, environmental human rights, and the Environmental Protection Law. They are considered the best documentation of the State of Kuwait’s governmental and voluntary efforts in this field. The greatest achievement, however, was the result of cooperation between the Kuwait Environment Protection Society and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001, which led to the United Nations General Assembly declaring November 6th as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. This is clear proof over the years of the State of Kuwait’s interest in environmental rights, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsors this event annually to spread accurate awareness of its importance.”.
Engineer Yousef Al-Ramzi concluded by emphasizing the importance of these meetings that bring together associations with government agencies to communicate on the latest developments in issues that overlap in specializations, stressing that the association has received many requests for cooperation, which confirms its role in building working relationships and cooperation in the interest of Kuwaiti society.
