General Manager of Katara Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (centre), Ambassador of Italy H E Alessandro Prunas, Ambassador of United Kingdom H E Jon Wilks, and Unesco Regional Director for Gulf States and Yemen Anna Paolini being given a tour o
As part of activities leading to the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (COP26), the Italian Embassy in Doha opened the ‘Plastic Seas: Eco-Fables on Show’ exhibition in partnership with the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara), yesterday.
The show was inaugurated by the Ambassador of Italy to Qatar H E Alessandro Prunas, with General Manager of Katara, Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, Ambassador of United Kingdom to Qatar H E Jon Wilks, the Unesco Regional Director for the Gulf States and Yemen Anna Paolini and other top officials in attendance.
The exhibition, which features original projects by Qatari artist Fatima Mohammed and Italian artist Elisabetta Farina will run until October 2 at Building 19, Gallery 1.
‘Plastic Seas: Eco-Fables on Show’ highlights the urgency of ridding seas and lands of plastic pollution by using these materials to bring art to life while telling stories of pollution and the adverse effects of hazardous materials on the environment.
“It is a pleasure to resume some cultural activities and our collaboration with Katara,” Prunas said.
“Through the artists’ imagination, they allow us to understand that this problem (pollution) goes beyond human understanding somehow, and you need art and irony to put a spotlight on this incredible problem of pollution, not just in the oceans but also on land.”
The Italian envoy whose country co-chairs the COP26 activities this year alongside the UK disclosed that Italy would be hosting Pre-COP events, which provides a selected group of countries with an informal setting to discuss and exchange views on some key political aspects ahead of the main event in Glasgow later this year.
“This year is a special year for us Italy and also for the UK. We have the responsibility to co-chair the COP26 process. We would be hosting the pre-COP, and the summit would take place in Glasgow. This event (in Katara) builds up to the main events and highlights the contribution art can give in spotlighting this problem,” Prunas added.
A Qatari delegation which includes Fatima Abuhaliqa and Neeshad Shafi, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, would participate in the Pre-COP event’ Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition’ in Milan from September 28-30.
During the event in Milan, participants will discuss and put forward ideas and proposals on some of the most pressing issues on the climate agenda. Almost 400 young people from the 197 member countries would participate in the event.
“We are proud that quite a significant delegate from Qatar would be going to Milan for the youth climate seminar and also the pre-COP event. It proves that the commitment by our countries at the government level against climate change is deeply shared and supported by our peoples, especially young generations,” Prunas added.
“On behalf of the UK Government and the British Embassy in Doha, I am delighted to participate in the launch of this exhibition. This event draws attention to one of the most pressing issues contributing to degrading the global environment,” British envoy Wilks said in a statement.
