Arab countries were urged Wednesday to “think globally and act regionally” on environmental issues.
The call is part of recommendations made at an Arab non-governmental organizations (NGOs) meeting held in Bahrain, reported the Gulf Daily News.
The recommendations, in what is known the Manama Declaration, also calls for Arab-Arab regional cooperation and international cooperation on special environmental issues.
The Forum for Arab NGOs was organized by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) and other members of the Joint Secretariat for the preparation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD).
The Manama Declaration is also a statement of the achievements of Arab NGOs in sustainable development through the last decade, said the paper.
It also outlines the constraints and challenges they have encountered and the way forward for sustainable development efforts as seen by the NGOs.
The declaration also calls upon the Arab League and its correlated agencies to consider the following course of action: more involvement of NGOs in the various mechanisms and agencies of the Arab Regional Co-operation; a more effective role for the Arab League, and modernizing its role in the implementation of sustainable development indicators; establishment of an Arab Sustainable Development Committee; and the establishment of the Arab Environment Facility (AEF) – Albawaba.com
