Unesco Regional Office in Doha and Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (QNCECS) have started developing a holistic programme to enhance the State’s efforts in achieving sustainability and environment protection goal.
“Under the programme, for the first time, we put all actors together from public and private sectors which are doing events and activities of some sorts related to environmental protection and sustainability to build together one programme to achieve more impact,” Dr. Anna Paolini, Director, Unesco Regional Office in Doha, told The Peninsula.
She said instead of doing individual efforts, one holistic programme will enable everybody to participate for a better impact. “We already held a meeting and gearing up to build a holistic programme in this sense,” said Dr. Paolini.
She said Qatar is investing a lot to build environmental consciousness and behavioural changes in the country. “There are many initiatives in the country but they are scattered like beach cleaning, schools activities related to greenery and many more but what we are aiming and doing, at this moment, is to bring all these actors together under a holistic programme to support the country in this vision,” said Dr. Paolini.
She said Qatar is investing a lot in developing infrastructure of green building and it is in forefront in preserving the environment. “But we need to look to change the beahviour of the people - citizens and expatriates to ensure the sustainability,” said Dr. Paolini.
She said that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment is running campaigns of awareness and those related to recycling but “we believe that it is needed to instil concept of sustainability in young generations.”
“The movement around the world which has been created by young generation is running to push for a green planet and environment protection. I think there is right moment and opportunity as well to instil all elements,” said Dr. Paolini. She said Qatar is one of the largest Man and the Biosphere (MAB) reserve under Unesco programme in the region which is Al Reem Biosphere Reserve run under the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
The MAB programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments. “Unesco Regional Office in Doha is working with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment in providing a full management plan for Al Reem Biosphere Reserve,” said Dr. Paolini.
She said the coordination aims at protecting the area of reserve, setting guidelines and organising several activates for children to educate them about importance of sustainability.
