TEHRAN- Ali Salajeqeh, head of the Department of Environment (DOE), is participating in the Fifth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific (5th AP Forum) which is held from October 3rd to 6th in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The event is jointly organized by the Government of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Environment Program, and attendees have the option to participate either in-person or virtually.

On October 8, 2021, Salajeqeh urged the world to avoid politicization of the environment, but to uphold the globally recognized “common but differentiated responsibilities”.

He made the remarks at the 4th Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, held virtually.

Pointing to the major environmental challenges, he said that “we need to synergize our efforts to achieve a better result to save the planet.”

“In the region, we are facing several environmental pressing issues and problems that are ever-increasing and exacerbating. Water scarcity is among the most important ones and many member states are trying hard to catch up with it.”

Expressing pleasure, he noted that “there is finally a global tendency to building back better and to formulate a balanced nature.

Also, it is good to see special attention to green recovery which will greatly help to achieve the sustainable development goals and various international instruments’ objectives to preserve and promote biodiversity and ecosystems.”

This noble objective would be achieved by creating green jobs, promoting sustainable consumption and production, and a healthy circular economy.

“To address these challenges, we have to avoid politicization of the environment and we need to uphold the globally recognized ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities’.”

Developed countries have to recognize their commitment to providing means of implementation such as financial assistance and transfer of technologies and the developing countries need to make the best use of their resources, he highlighted.

“Sustainable development now is at the center of the United Nations efforts; however, we need to bear in mind that development cannot be prescribed as a global solution to fit into the local or regional policies.

By the same token, we need to address the unilateral sanctions against some countries including mine, which is an important impediment to the financial contributions of those countries to maintain the pace of conservation of nature,” he further emphasized.

AP Forum

The Forum provides a platform for governments, intergovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss and prioritize environmental issues in the Asia Pacific region, said a report released by the UN Environment Assembly website.

It aims to contribute to the outcome of the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) taking place from 26 February to 1 March 2024 in Nairobi, with the theme "Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution".

The Forum offers Member States and other stakeholders an opportunity to present an Asia Pacific perspective on discussions at UNEA-6.

Participants will review the progress of UNEA resolutions' implementation in the region, as well as the progress made in regional forums and platforms where UNEP is the secretariat.

Such forums include the Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership, Asia Pacific Adaptation Network, Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia, and the Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Environment and Health.

Furthermore, the Forum will identify regional priorities and emerging issues, and address challenges and opportunities to strengthen the regional environmental agenda, delivering on the environmental dimension of the SDGs, and regional commitments to multilateral environmental agreements.

Participants will contribute to the draft UNEA-6 result documents, including ministerial statements and draft resolutions, and will share their insights and ideas for achieving the environmental dimension of the 2030 SDGs.

The first Forum of Ministers and Environmental Authorities of Asia Pacific took place from May 19 to 20, 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand. 

MT/MG