The Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) has organized a regional workshop to harmonize all national initiatives meant to combat desertification, which falls in line with the International Strategy for Combating Desertification (2008-2018). The workshop, which is being held under the patronage of MoEW Minister, His Excellency (H.E.) Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, started today, June 18, and will run until June 20 at the Crown Plaza, Dubai. The event is a collaboration between the MoEW and several leading organizations like the Secretariat of UNCCD, The Arab League, FAO Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen, Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The regional workshop aims to help participating countries in modernizing their national strategies of combating desertification in line with the 10-year strategy of the Convention and assist them in the preparation of their national reports. The workshop serves as a platform for Arab states and international and regional organizations to exchange ideas with regard to the implementation of plans to counter desertification. The participants are also set to benefit from the experience of international institutions involved in the implementation of the decisions of the Conference of the Parties and the Committee on Science and Technology set up by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
During the event, H.E. Sultan Alwan, Assistant Undersecretary for Water Resources and Nature Conservation for the MoEW, delivered a speech on behalf of H.E. Dr. Fahad. He said: “This workshop has been organized in line with MoEW’s plans to launch several initiatives to protect ecosystems and the preservation of water resources. These initiatives aim to promote environmental sustainability and preserve water resources through the activation of the integrated management of ecosystems and natural resources in the UAE, which is one of the priorities of the UAE Vision 2021.”
H.E. Alwan added that the national strategy is focused on improving the situation of ecosystems affected by desertification and highlighting the role of the programs aimed at countering desertification in efforts to preserve biodiversity and reduce the impacts of climate change. The strategy also aims to increase public interest and awareness on desertification, land degradation, and drought as well as promote national capacity building which includes keeping abreast of the latest scientific and technical knowledge in combating desertification. It also calls for the development of institutional structures and legislation related to the reduction of the implications of desertification. He stressed that the programs and activities included in the strategy will be an important contribution to the national efforts to combat desertification and reduce and mitigate its economic, social and environmental impacts.
Despite the severity of the climate conditions experienced by the UAE as evident in high temperatures and lack of rainfall, Alwan said the country was able to achieve many achievements in its fights against desertification. The UAE Government has updated the National Strategy to Combat Desertification, which was set in 2003, in line with UAE Vision 2021 and in response to the requirements of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This strategy has emphasized the need to protect the environment from the dangers arising from human activities globally and locally by maintaining preventive measures and regulatory procedures that protect fragile ecosystems from urban expansion. Alwan also stressed that the revised strategy is aligned with the UAE's obligations to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the strategic objectives of the 10-year plan of the Convention (2008-2018). The strategy also took into account the national, regional and international developments as well as the important institutional and legislative developments experienced by the state in recent years.
The workshop has brought together 50 participants from West Asia and North Africa. Representatives of regional and international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) also participated the event. The major organizations have expressed support to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Local authorities, delegates from scientific research centers in the UAE, and other stakeholders were also in attendance.
The UAE joined the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 1998. The move marked the start of the country’s strategic campaigns to combat desertification. MoEW has implemented several national strategies such as the initiative to preserve water resources in the UAE in 2010 and the National Strategy of Biodiversity in 2014. In addition, the ministry also started several projects linking the global goals of combating desertification with issues of climate change and its impact on biodiversity. Some of these projects were the construction of dams to feed the aquifers on top of the 130 dams in the UAE, the establishment of 27 nature reserve, the preparation of soil map of the state, among others. All these efforts are geared toward preserving the environment.