H.E Prof. Ibrahim Adam Ahmed El Dukhiri, Director General of (AOAD), participated in the 29th session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for Environmental Affairs held on 19/10/2017 at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States.

The meeting discussed a number of issues related to the environment in the Arab region. The most important were the implementation of the environmental dimension in the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, following up the implementation of the decisions in the Economic and Social Arab Summits. In addition there was a follow up of the Arab Strategy for reducing disasters, and the agreements, meetings and international conferences that are related to environment.

 In his speech, H.E Dr. Kamal Hassan Ali, Assistant Secretary General, Head of the Economic Affairs of the League of Arab States, stressed that the General Secretariat of the League gives particular attention to the international conferences concerned with the environment, and the importance of participation in them. Dr Kamal also invited the Arab countries to prepare a joint Arab working group to ensure the success of the Conference on Biological Diversity hosted by Egypt and to be held in Sharm El Sheikh. The League of Arab States delegation, which will participate in the session, will play an important role in coordinating and holding meetings with a view to assigning roles and unifying visions.

 The Council thanked the AOAD and Egypt for their efforts in the thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) held in China during the period from 6-16 September 2017. The council also chose the topic of land degradation for the next session. The AOAD and the Arab Center for the Studies of Dry Areas and Arid Lands (ACSAD) will prepare a study on this subject before the Council at its next session.