Arab ministers concerned with the affairs of meteorology and climate currently meeting in Jeddah announced in a statement Monday the establishment of a Council of Arab Ministers responsible for meteorology and climate. The declaration was issued within the framework of the first ministerial meeting to develop meteorological and climatological services in Arab countries. Earlier some 1,000 visitors thronged the third annual Gulf Environmental and Sustainable Development Forum (GEF) which was inaugurated by Prince Turki Bin Nasser, president of the Presidency of Metrology and Environment (PME) and chairman of the Saudi Environment Society (SENS), on Sunday evening at the Jeddah Hilton. Prince Turki in his inaugural speech entitled “Green Economy, green innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)”, said that the event focused on key areas including green economy and innovation in the field. He highlighted the importance of CSR which has played an important role in the Kingdom in the last five years. An international exhibition on the sidelines of the forum attracted over 100 exhibitors providing an unrivaled opportunity for business in the field of green energy and sustainable development. “Once again, GEF 2012 is proud to be held here under the patronage of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, whose foresight and environmental concerns have made an event on this scale possible,”Prince Turki said. “We all have a role to play in protecting our environment by taking part such unique and valuable events where we can help ensure that the organizations and institutions involved in environment and sustainable development are taking the right steps to preserve the environment for future generations.” The three-day forum deals with dozens of issues notably the green economy and types of renewable energy –solar, nuclear and wind– in terms of their production and use. Municipal waste management and efforts to resolve the water crisis, climate protection and sanitation are other key issues under discussion. Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Salman, Assistant Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, said that the international community must recognize that poverty also means poverty in energy, and it must work to combat and eradicate energy poverty in order to provide modern energy for all. “The standards approved since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 should be taken into consideration; these include access to energy, affordability, security and continuity,” said Prince Abdul Aziz. He added that the Kingdom occupies a prominent rank in the area of ??grant aid and external development support in the international arena. __
