Qatar’s Al Attiya calls for systematic effort to fight desertification

Fahad Al Attiya, chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Program, said a systematic effort was needed to tackle expanding desertification in order to protect the environment.

“Qatar, a small country, has been exposed to drought, land degradation and desertification and has withstood its impact including the shortage of water,” he said at 10th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.

Al Attiya said Qatar plans to invest heavily in the anti-desertification efforts to better adapt to rapid environmental changes and push for prosperity through the green growth drive.

“We were previously exposed to a food security problem due to desertification, and what we learned was that a systematic approach is crucial and the scope should be adjusted so as not to harm the environment,” he said at the Changwon Conference, the first COP meeting hosted by an Asian country.

Qatar’s food security is largely dependent on imports, Al Attiya said. Desertification and other environmental problems that threaten the land have a direct impact on the import prices of food, a critical factor that could disrupt the food distribution network in Qatar, he noted, suggesting that desertification is an issue that can affect ordinary people immediately with a potentially traumatic repercussion.

To pursue such goal, Qatar is planning to utilize its solar energy power generation that has a minimal impact on the surrounding environment, he said.

As for the food security issue in Qatar, Al Attiya said a three-pronged initiative -- bigger internal production and greater imports as well as development of new strategic foods -- was under way.

The Land for Life Award that is being presented by the Changwon Initiative is very important in terms of incentive that encourages the countries to join forces in fighting desertification with concerted efforts, he said, adding that new success cases at the Changwon forum would be extensively shared at other international forums.

On Sept. 20, Al Attiya called for the establishment of a “Global Dry Land Alliance” at the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly. At the high-level meeting hosted by the UNCCD, he urged the international community to confront the urgent problems of desertification, land degradation and drought, with a collective effort: “These are among the most important issues the world faces today, and they affect the livelihoods and the future of more than two billion people who live on the forty percent of the world’s land that is classified as arid or semi-arid.”

The Changwon Conference gained attention from the local and international media while senior officials from governments and international organizations explored ways to fight DLDD and food security. (insight@heraldcorp.com)