day Second International Forum and Exhibition on Gulf Environment and Sustainable Development will be launched here on May 30. The event is being held under the patronage of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, entitled: “Exchange, development and sustainability”. It is slated to tackle waste treatment and the future of environmental technology. The forum will also discuss water resources management in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, effective waste water management, innovative solutions for sewage treatment and sustainable development of water resources. The forum is being organized by the Saudi Environmental Society (SENS) under the supervision of the Presidency for Meteorology and Environment (PME). Participants include a number of ministers, 13 international and local speakers, 45 decision-makers and 1,500 visitors including specialists and researchers in environment and sustainable development. There will be several local, regional and international specialist organizations from the Kingdom, the GCC, Arab and other countries. Over 60 exhibitors from the public and private sectors, doing environmental work as part of their social responsibility, are expected to participate in the international exhibition. Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz, PME chief and president of SENS, said King Abdullah's patronage of the event demonstrates his concern and continuous support for environmental work in society. He also lauded the support of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General. Prince Nawaf Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz, Executive Director of SENS and Supervisor General of the forum, said the event comes at a time when the environment has become increasingly important in the world. Prince Nawaf said forums are important because discussions focus on developing scientific and practical methodologies and strategies for a healthy environment, for the benefit of future generations. On the first day, the forum will deal with nuclear energy as a source of energy, and sustainable “green” buildings to support expansion of cities. The second day will tackle a number of themes on reducing the effect of prospecting and production on the environment, merging renewable energy and nuclear energy, waste management and recycling. The last day will review the Kingdom's management of water resources, financing of environmental projects in the Kingdom and the Middle East, air, land and sea environmental protection systems for the Gulf region. Prince Nawaf said the forum will see live interactive sessions over the three days and an exchange of ideas with leading personalities in the public and private sectors.
