ISLAMABAD:COMSTECH-the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation on Monday launched “Forum on Environment and Ecosystem Restoration” to address and deliberate upon collective actions to meet the ecological challenges.
The launching of the forum was followed by an International Seminar on Land Degradation to commemorate the World Environment Day. The event was hybrid, which was attended by in-person and online participants.
Assistant Secretary General of Science and Technology, OIC, Ambassador Askar Musinov delivered the message of the Secretary General of OIC, Hissein Brahim Taha.
The World Environment Day is an important international day for world environment, Taha said, adding that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had joined the international community to celebrate the day.
He said that this year’s theme “Only one Earth” with the focus on “living sustainably in harmony with nature” gives opportunity to protect Earth and adopt green technologies.
Hissein said the developed countries must encourage and support developing countries to develop green technologies.
He said that the OIC attaches high importance to the concerns related to environment, climate change and biodiversity.
The Secretary General OIC called for integrated measures to reduce effects of climate change and natural disasters and stressed upon the need of incorporating environmental concerns in the international strategies for sustainable development.
He suggested that the international and regional cooperation needs to be strengthened in areas of climate change in order to protecting the nature for well-being of future generations.
Earlier, the Coordinator General, COMSTECH said in his welcome address that based on the central importance of the fast emerging environmental and ecosystem challenges and their impact on the livelihood of people in the OIC region, “we have decided to launch a permanent forum to deliberate upon collective actions to meet these ecological challenges”.
In Muslim countries, urban expansion continues, whereas desertification, soil erosion, low vegetation covers, and depletion of fresh water bodies has created an alarming situation which demands urgent and collective actions to avoid fast approaching major human tragedies, he added.
Prof. Choudhary said that the COMSTECH Forum of Environment and Ecosystem Restoration would be working in the Framework of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2023, as well as the UN Framework on UN 2030 SDG Agenda.
He informed the participants that the importance of the environment for sustainable social and economic development is well stipulated in the OIC-2025 Programme of Action as well as STI agenda, which guides member countries to protect and preserve the environment, promote sustainable production and consumption patterns and enhance capacities for disaster risk reduction as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Prof. Choudhary hoped that COMSTECH Forum on Environment and Ecosystem Restoration will strengthen the work of the OIC in these areas.
Advisor Climate Change COMSTECH, Ambassador Shahid Kamal said in his opening remarks, “Today’s event is taking place in the backdrop of the World Environment Day, which calls for collective global action to protect and restore our planet”.
The inaugural session was also addressed by Dr Dechen Tsering, Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific, UN Environment Programme, Bangkok, Dr Barron Joseph Orr, Lead scientist at United Nations convention to combat desertification, Bonn, Dr Djime Adoum, Representative of the Sahel coalition, and Dr Paul Ouedraogo, Deputy executive secretary, CILSS-permanent interstate committee for drought control in the Sahel.
Eight international experts participated in the international seminar on land degradation and delivered talks on land degradation, food systems, crop modelling, and the activities performed in Tanzania, Tunisia and The Gambia to address this phenomenon.