Oman and Qatar sign an executive program in environmental field

Muscat: The second day of Oman Climate Week saw scientific and technical panel discussions, workshops and round table talks. The sessions on Tuesday began with discussion on Closing the gap between climate adaptation and climate mitigation and second session dealt with renewables.

Dr Abdullah Al Amri, Chairman of the Environment Authority, speaking to Observer, said there are also discussions on the outcome of previous climate weeks that brought about strategic solutions and recommendations in order to understand the methodologies of implementation and also the details of the implementation as well as the resolutions in order to improve the awareness and the environmental culture and climate change culture.

“All these efforts taken here in Muscat will reflect positively on the region and the world. There are scientific conferences going on such as the Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of Solid Waste to Reduce the Emission. We also have high level strategic scientific and technical panel discussions,” said the Chairman of Environment Authority.

The conference will continue until February 27th, with more than 20 dialogue sessions with 15 specialized workshops and training programs with the participation of more than 22 trainers, discussing climate action.

The second day also saw Oman, represented by the Environment Authority, and Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, sign an agreement on executive program in the field of environment and its conservation between the two countries for the period of 2025-2029.

The agreement was signed by Dr Abdullah bin Ali Al Amri, Chairman of the Environment Authority, and Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Mahmoud, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in the State of Qatar. The Executive Program comes within the framework of supporting integration and cooperation in the field of the environment and its preservation and completing the joint efforts between them in serving environmental work.

As per the agreement, there will be preparation for joint cooperation projects, the search for ways to finance them in the environmental field, cooperation in the field of studies and research, the exchange of expertise and visits related to endangered wild animals, and cooperation in the fields of management and control of invasive species. Another area of cooperation is in the exchange of expertise in the field of land degradation and rehabilitation of vegetation cover, conducting a joint study of successful models in the field of implementing sustainable management plans for nature reserves, and studying the proposal of twinning projects between wildlife reserves. The Executive Program will also result in the exchange of experts and technical opinions on establishing breeding centers for local animals, holding training courses on animal care and breeding techniques, supporting research in the fields of reproduction, animal behavior and nutrition, and reviewing the mechanisms for registering the holdings of endangered and dangerous wild animals and methods of managing them.

Another interesting aspect of the Executive Program is the cooperation that will be seen in the field of falconry, with practice of best standards and according to the best scientific and technical practices, and enhancing cooperation in the field of coastal protection and combating marine environmental pollutants.

The program will also see the exchange of expertise, information and experts in the field of protecting and propagating mangrove trees and their reserves, as well as the field of bird migrations and their protection in their breeding sites, the field of protecting coral reefs, and the field of protecting rare species of wild animals and plants in natural reserve sites.

It will also include the exchange of expertise in the field of wildlife breeding centers, the field of natural plant gardens, the field of environmental studies and surveys, especially those related to endangered species, and the field of documenting cases of marine mammal and stranding of sea turtles, and mechanisms for tracking, rescuing, and protecting them.

The Executive Program intends to develop close cooperation in establishing a unified environmental performance index, exchanging expertise and cooperation in the field of sound management of chemicals and hazardous waste through workshops and visits, and coordinating positions in international agreements in the field of chemicals and hazardous waste.

According to the Executive Program, there will be exchange of expertise, cooperation and coordination in the field of technologies for controlling air pollutants emitted from fixed sources and technologies used to improve ambient air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the ozone layer, as well as cooperation and visits between experts and specialists in the fields of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, and areas of common interest related to climate change.

It is also expected to address the exchange of expertise and cooperation with the aim of enhancing awareness in areas related to environmental sustainability, successful models of climate change governance and environmental sustainability from a legislative perspective and implementation mechanisms.

The agreement is also expected to bring in cooperation in the field of laboratories and modern analytical techniques, quality control and assurance in environmental laboratories, in addition to exchanging expertise in the regulatory field with regard to radiation protection.