Maat: Arab Efforts in the Race for the COP27 Climate Summit are Accelerating and Proactive
"Okeil": We recommend the Arab League to allow Syria's return to its seat to benefit from Arab initiatives on climate change
Maryam Salah: The Arab League initiative for regional climate security must be directed toward conflict countries
Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights releases the 9th issue of "The SDG 13 Observatory in the Arab Region", under the title “Accelerated Arab Efforts in the Race to the COP27 Climate Summit".
Maat confirmed that since the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change was officially announced in November, there have been accelerated efforts at the Arab level and proactive steps toward the COP27 climate summit. It is worth noting that international and regional organizations have played a vital role in supporting the efforts of their member governments in addressing the major crises they face, such as the climate change crisis and its repercussions.
The September issue focused on climate action in Syria, which was ranked among the nine countries at high risk from weather events, and has the third highest rate of drought risk. 40% of agricultural areas are no longer able to rely on irrigation. Maat referred to the harsh conditions and security problems that Syria is facing after the war. While Syria is trying to adapt to climate change, statistics from the World Food Programme (WFP) indicate that 12 million Syrians are at risk of starvation.
Maat stated that the process of national reporting on climate action has been disrupted due to the cessation of support and funding by donors and international and regional organizations, as a result of the measures imposed on Syria, topped by the suspension of its membership in the League of Arab States.
In this context, Ayman Okeil, the international human rights expert and President of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights, stated that it has become difficult for Syria to enhance resilience in the face of climate change shocks, due to its suffering from harsh conditions as a result of war imposed over the past decade and its negative effects on the environment with all its components. The situation has also deteriorated due to the suspension of the implementation of many international and regional projects, which were aimed at promoting sustainable development, especially projects related to combating the effects of climate change.
Okeil recommends the League of Arab States to lift the restrictions on Syria's membership and unite Arab efforts to work to save the Syrian people from the repercussions of climate change, through the work of joint Arab initiatives aimed at providing relief to people affected by the repercussions of climate change in conflict areas.
On her part, Mariam Salah, a researcher in the Sustainable Development Unit at Maat, recommended the need for the League of Arab States to direct the Arab regional climate security initiative toward Syria and other countries affected by the conflict, increasing opportunities and removing challenges facing Arab countries to address climate change, as well as emphasizing the role of civil society organizations working in this field.
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