More cooperation sought to tackle social, eco problems

More cooperation between the developed and developing countries is the need of the hour for the successful implementation of the Agenda 21, according to a top Omani environmentalist.

The Agenda 21 was adopted during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Eradication of poverty, integration of economic, social and environmental objectives were some of the areas singled out in Agenda 21 for urgent attention in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.

A World Summit on Sustainable Development will be held in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4.

"The Johannesburg Summit will evaluate the progress on Agenda 21, since the Rio Summit 10 years ago," Ali Amer Al Kiyumi, Director General of Nature Conservation, told Gulf News yesterday.

"We are now facing an alarming deterioration in the earth's vital-supporting ecosystems," Al Kiyumi pointed out.

He said when the world leaders meet in Johannesburg, they would pursue new initiatives to implement sustainable development and build a future of prosperity and security for their citizens.

He revealed that Oman would also take part in the Johannesburg Summit with a strong delegation of over 15 members.

The technical delegation will be headed by Najib Al Rowas, Environment Adviser at the Ministry of Regional Municipality, Environment and Water Resources.

"We (in Oman) know that there's a lot of difficulties in facing the problems and solving them," said Al Kiyumi. He believes that all nations, locally, regionally and internationally, need to work together to meet the challenges in implementing the Agenda 21.

He said that Oman as a country would like to see development in all sectors.

"We would like each individual to take part in an integrated programme for the sustainable growth," he said.

Like many other governments, the Omani government has also made extensive efforts in the last decade to integrate environmental, economic and social objectives into decision making by elaborating new policies and strategies for sustainable development.

Al Kiyumi reckons that the Johannesburg Summit would offer an historic opportunity to confront serious and growing threats to human well-being.

According to the United Nations, a third of the world's people live on an income of less than Dh6 a day, use of fossil fuels is rising rapidly, patterns of production and consumption continue to eat up natural resources faster than they can be replenished, three quarters of the world's fisheries are fished to their sustainable limits or beyond, mountain glaciers are gradually melting away, and the world's forests are rapidly shrinking.

"Decisive action is needed to reverse this trend and at the same time, developed nations should cooperate with the developing countries," said Al Kiyumi.