Can the Rio+20 meeting due to be held in Brazil in June help revive the spirit of the 1992 Earth Summit and how are young people in Arab countries responding to the challenges, asks Mahmoud Bakr If anything, the world's ecological problems have only grown over the past 20 years since the Earth Summit of 1992 held in the Latin American city of Rio de Janeiro. As the developing world catches up with lifestyles that until recently were the privilege of the leading industrialised countries, the future looks even more perilous than before. In Egypt, experts have been debating the practicalities of moving to a green economy. Egypt, many agree, is committed to the principles of sustainable development, to the need for the equitable distribution of income, to more jobs and to a better environment. But these goals, however universally shared, are not always compatible. And the technologies involved in the transition to a green economy are not always readily available or cheap. The Office for Environmental Commitment and Sustainable Development, which is affiliated with Egypt's Federation of Industry, has been urging the introduction of more incentives to business to switch to clean production. Through a blend of appropriate technology and environmental regulations, sustainable development may finally pick up pace in the region, experts hope. Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Mustafa Kamel is known for his support of a green economy both in Egypt and the wider region, with the ministry taking part in a sustainable development forum held recently in Saudi Arabia, for example. The Arab world, Kamel says, must join forces in efforts to promote clean production methods. "With climate change already threatening to change the ecology of the region, we must re-evaluate our business opportunities and development plans accordingly," he said. According to Kamel, government agencies and private business have a duty to coordinate their policies on sustainable development. With the right blend of incentives and initiatives, small- and medium-sized businesses could be persuaded to adopt cleaner methods of production. The Arab region needs to combine economic objectives with social and environmental considerations. If this is done, the region will be able to confront possible food and water scarcity, while also creating jobs and achieving a more equitable distribution of wealth. "The Arab region has the ability to adopt greener technology, build the necessary human capacities, and forge closer links with Europe in matters of sustainable development," Kamel said. As an example of such initiatives, Kamel recently met with Malin Karre, the Swedish ambassador to Cairo, to discuss future Euro-Arab cooperation on the environment. Sweden, Kamel says, is interested in cooperating with Egypt in recycling, clean energy, and green design. A group of Swedish environmental experts and industrial engineers has suggested ways of helping Egypt with its sustainable development programmes, for example, especially in areas of water technology and residential refuse disposal. Among the many projects they suggested was one enabling home owners to use organic refuse to generate electricity, which would save the need for expensive transport and the disposal of residential refuse. Kamel, who also recently attended a meeting of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, says that Egypt is committed to sustainable development and is eager to promote the goals of Rio+20. The world, he adds, needs to follow a clear set of objectives, with a timeframe for their implementation, though he urges a gradual approach to ecological targets. According to Kamel, the transition to a green economy must be compatible with the economic and social circumstances of different countries. Ecological considerations could be used to discriminate against developing countries, for example, he said, or to slow down their growth, or block their commercial opportunities. "Egypt is interested in drawing up a plan for sustainable development at home, in the region, and worldwide. Different countries should set up institutions for cooperation in matters related to the green economy. We need to have a practical vision for the future, one that combines job creation with clean production," he said. Meanwhile, "we need to create bodies that can monitor and assess environmental procedures worldwide." According to Hossam Hegazi, director of Egypt's Environmental Affairs Organisation, the international financial crisis and political developments in the region have not helped the cause of the environment. What we need now, Hegazi said, are environmental programmes based on cooperation between government, business and civil society. An integrated approach to sustainable development would be one way to promote ecological endeavours. Another way would be to set up a national council for sustainable development, one that has clear powers, a viable policy, and a clear structure. The green economy is capable of promoting social justice and creating more jobs both in government and business, Hegazi said. The recent political changes in the region may also boost the chances for the green economy, as more than one country is now in a position to reformulate its growth objectives. Ahmed Abdel-Moneim, executive director of the Office for Environmental Commitment and Sustainable Development, said that sustainable development was the only way to ensure a healthy life for the nation in the future. His office is currently providing easy credit to finance clean production projects, and international regulations are helping local producers appreciate the need for clean production. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ROLE OF ARAB YOUTH: The impact of the Arab revolutions on the environment has not always been positive, with new governments in many Arab countries striving to put their houses in order and sometimes putting the environment at the end of their list of priorities as a result. However, Arab organisations interested in sustainable development have been coming up with initiatives to help remedy the current situation. For example, the Arab Union for Youth and the Environment (AUYE) and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) have recently brought together civil society groups from 14 Arab countries to discuss a so-called "zero draft" for sustainable development. Arab ministers of the environment will discuss this draft at the 20th annual conference of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, which is scheduled to be held in Brazil in June. The aim of the preparatory gathering, held in Hurghada from 26 to 29 March, was to draw up the outlines of an Arab environmental policy that would take national and regional issues into consideration as well as international needs. According to AUYE chief Magdi Allam, participants in the event called on all organisations involved in sustainable development in the region to report on their work and their financial and administrative needs. Arab civil society organisations in particular have become an integral part of sustainable development efforts, and their work must be taken seriously by policymakers, Allam said. In order to enhance sustainable development efforts, Allam said that the government, business, and civil society organisations should work hand in hand and exchange the outcomes of various experiences, as well as share the latest technological innovations. Youth and civil society groups from across the Arab world now want to see ecological concerns enshrined in the constitutions of their respective countries and sustainable development considerations become an integral part of policy-making in the Arab world. National laws, cooperation arrangements, and financial methods should all be formulated with an eye on the green economy, Allam said. Hatem Mokheimar of ISESCO said that the promotion of sustainable development should be given pride of place in schools and universities. "Arab countries should be able to produce a workforce capable of coping with the needs of sustainable development. Government and business leaders should also focus on the green economy as they draw up plans for the future," he said. AUYE Secretary-General Mamdouh Rashwan said that participants in the Hurghada gathering had suggested that an award for ecological research should be made in honour of Abdel-Fattah El-Qassas, the Egyptian environmental scientist who passed away last month. According to Rashwan, the participants also discussed ways of alleviating poverty and protecting biodiversity. Recommendations will now be relayed to the environmental ministers of Arab countries, who are currently preparing their proposals for the Rio+20 meeting in June.
