Minister of Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg met yesterday (02/02) with environment ministers from the region to promote a joint regional action plan. The program will include joint ventures and services for the countries of the region in the field of mitigation (adaptation) and adaptation (adaptation). The meeting was supported by the ministers of the participating countries and expressed their views on the structure of the action plan and on the proposed management of the plan.
The Cypriot minister attended the meeting after meeting with Minister Zandberg at the climate conference in Glasgow and as part of a regional initiative of Cyprus in which Israel is a partner. Participating in this initiative are scientists and professionals from all over the region who will share knowledge on emissions reduction and preparedness and adaptation to climate change in the face of the similar and sometimes common challenges.
The Climate Initiative announced by the President of Cyprus in 2019 seeks to harness scientists and researchers and decision makers in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East to create solutions to address the effects of climate change for the benefit of residents of all countries in the region. The area is defined by scientific bodies as an area that is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change. Hence joint regional action is needed to address the expected challenges.
The initiative has the support of the US administration, the European Union and international organizations such as the Union for the Mediterranean and the United Nations Meteorological Organization.
The meeting was attended by the environment ministers of Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman and the Palestinians and other representatives from international organizations, the Climate Convention, the European Union and the Union for the Mediterranean.
The meeting opened with a series of political and professional meetings between representatives of the countries of the region. At the end of the process by the end of 2022, the leaders of the countries are scheduled to meet and announce a joint regional action plan. Following the announcement, the regional plan is scheduled to be presented at the international arena at the Egypt Climate Conference.
The purpose of the action plan agreed at the meeting is to serve as a mechanism for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. It was decided to establish a council composed of representatives of the participating countries that would include information, innovation and research on the subject. It was also decided that the participating countries would build the joint action plan, which would be agreed by the next ministerial meeting in June. The program is the result of the work of research teams that preceded the meeting in recent months and dealt with, among other things, these topics: health and the environment, water resources, marine environment, immigration, tourism, technologies, circular economy, energy and more.
The action plan will assist countries that have a national emission reduction program or a national adaptation program in achieving the program’s objectives.
The State of Israel has expressed its support for the initiative and is holding a professional dialogue with the Cypriot Institute on the subject. Cyprus attaches great importance to Israel’s participation and support for the initiative. The Ministry of Environmental Protection continues its regional collaborations with neighboring countries to prepare for climate change and joint action.
Minister of Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg: “The climate crisis hurts us all, it crosses borders and does not distinguish between different countries. The countries of the region face common challenges due to the desert and dry climate, and therefore cooperation is necessary as part of the fight against climate crisis, and to strengthen regional climate resilience.” “Regional and the importance of research unique to neighboring countries. I congratulate the President of Cyprus on the initiative and look forward to further cooperation on the issue.”