Image used for representation only
Grappling with climate change effects and environmental challenges, the Middle East and especially the Gulf region, have been encouraged to capitalise on the widespread interest in climate change to shine a light on its effects on human rights.
The Middle East is a hotbed for climate change issues, primarily due to the harsh climate conditions, conflicts and human activities. According to experts, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is warming twice the global average, putting ecosystems, livelihoods and people across the region at risk, with many suffering directly from the impact of rapid climate change.
Floods, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and other disasters occur at unprecedented and unpredictable rates, leaving utter devastation in their wake. Water scarcity is already a massive problem in the region, which is home to 12 of the world’s 17 most “water-stressed countries,” according to the World Resources Institute. The situation is driving people from their homes mainly to big cities, and in the long run, these cities become unsustainable due to pressure on resources.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the just-concluded International Conference on Climate Change and Human Rights, Mohammad Ali Alnsour, Chief MENA region, at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the momentum of hosting top events that discuss climate change should be utilised to highlight regional issues and address them.
“United Arab Emirates will host COP 28, and before it Egypt hosted the event. So there is a lot of momentum in the region. I think we can use this and engage more on human rights issues within the context of climate change.
“This conference is also significant because we are having a conference on this topic in the region for the first time. This is not a traditional topic or theme regarding human rights and the impact of climate change on people’s daily lives. I think the participation is very representative from all countries in the region and beyond the region, which is very important.”
Alnsour also disclosed that international industrial powers must join and drive a global reaction to the environmental problems as it affects rights.
“I think discussions are critical, but we need to have a political will from member states in the region and from the major industrial powers to address these issues and to have a global reaction and action instead of the occasional ones, as we have seen in Pakistan, Syria, Turkiye and other places.
So hopefully, we’ll have a global system to address the challenges when it comes to climate change,” he added.
