JEDDAH-- The Ministerial Council of the Green Mideast Initiative initiated on Wednesday the organizational structure of the initiative's secretariat, its internal policies, and its treasurer, in addition to adopting other major decisions to enable the launch of the initiative's implementation phase.

The final statement of the first session of the Ministerial Council of the Green Middle East Initiative affirmed the Council's commitment to strengthening regional cooperation to combat land degradation, desertification and drought, limit the loss of biodiversity and climate change, and mitigate their significant environmental, social and economic impacts.

The council conveyed its appreciation and gratitude to the Saudi leadership for the launch of the initiative, which was announced during the initiative's first summit in October 2021 in the city of Riyadh.
The statement welcomed the joining of 11 new countries to the Green Middle East Initiative as regional members, stressing the important role that these countries will play in contributing to achieving the ambitious goals of the initiative. It also called on for other countries to join the initiative.

The statement also welcomed the United Kingdom's joining of the initiative as a non-regional contributor with observer status.
It called on other non-regional countries to join the initiative, stressing their important role in providing technical and financial support to it, which will contribute to achieving regional goals and addressing global environmental challenges.

The statement appreciated the importance of continuing efforts made by regional member states to set ambitious future goals and develop national policies and strategies for land rehabilitation and vegetation development.

Through the final statement, the Ministerial Council stressed the importance of strengthening international multilateral efforts and the vital role of the private sector, financial institutions and civil society representatives in addressing the global challenges of land degradation, desertification and drought and supporting regional efforts.

It also welcomed the historic resolution taken by the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, held in February, which focused on strengthening international efforts to combat land degradation, desertification and enhancing resilience to drought.
The statement praised the United Kingdom's hosting of the celebration of World Environment Day, which will be on June 5 in Riyadh, and the United Nations Environment Program's selection of "Our Earth, Our Future" as the theme for World Environment Day 2024.

The expressed its keen interest in the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be held in Riyadh next December, calling on all parties to the Convention and representatives of all relevant stakeholders to actively participate in the conference as it is the first global platform to discuss and address the challenges of land degradation and drought.

On her part, on the sidelines of her participation in the session, Acting Director General of the Environment Public Authority (EPA), Samira Al-Kandari, in a statement for KUNA, affirmed Kuwait's strong belief in the importance of the Green Mideast Initiative and what it contributes to reducing carbon emissions resulting from climate change, in addition to reducing land degradation.

Al-Kandari pointed out to the initial approval of the Kuwaiti Council of Ministers regarding this initiative, and the continuation of the procedures for authorizing its charter. She indicated that Kuwait's participation in the founding team of the initiative confirms its support for it, expressing her appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this important initiative. 

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