The First Ministerial Meeting on COVID-19 and the Environment in West Asia, highlighted the environmental impacts of the pandemic and the dire need to address them.
Bahrain, represented by the Supreme Council for Environment hosted the meeting. It was organized by the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia, aimed to highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region and to recommend specific, sustainable, and environmentally friendly measures and policies.
While attending the meeting, Dr. Mohamed Mubarak Bin Daina, Vice President of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and Executive Chairman of the Supreme Council for Environment in Bahrain, stressed the importance of the meeting, which discussed issues of common interest across the countries of the region related to measures undertaken to protect the environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to present a roadmap for building back better after the pandemic.
During the meeting, the ministers adopted a joint ministerial statement confirming the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human safety and the environment, and its negative impact on local, regional and global economies.
The ministers expressed their deep regret for the lives lost due to the spread of the Coronavirus in the world, noting that the pandemic has led to a remarkable increase in the production of waste in general, plastic in particular, at the national, regional and international levels.
The pandemic has also led to a decrease in investment in environmental and economic measures and activities that depend on environmental services due to the precautionary measures.
Participants in the meeting highlighted that environmental challenges remain a global, regional and national priority, especially when life returns to normalcy, and while governments adopt plans to stimulate economies that require the development and implementation of strategic policies to “build back better”, for a more innovative, comprehensive and environmentally sustainable social and economic development.
The meeting called for strengthening regional coordination, making efforts and exchanging knowledge and experiences, to work for a healthy environment for current and future generations.
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