JEDDAH, 13 August 2004 — Motivated by a common concern for their local environment, thousands of people in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East will clean up next month streets, beaches, reefs and coastal areas along the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea as part of a Clean Up the World campaign.
Clean Up the World, held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Program, mobilizes over 30 million volunteers from more than 100 countries annually to clean up, fix up and conserve their local environment.
The 2004 Clean Up the World weekend is from Sept. 17 to 19.
Communities throughout the Middle East are encouraged to hold activities to raise awareness of how rubbish in the environment affects our waterways and ultimately our seas and oceans.
In the United Arab Emirates over 800 volunteers, including 300 divers, will remove and recycle rubbish from beaches, reefs and dive sites. During the year volunteers monitor coral and work on the eradication of the crown of thorns starfish.
Volunteers, based in Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, are organizing an artificial reef placement, a mangrove plantation program, beach cleanups and turtle nest recording.
Concerned for Jordon’s marine ecosystem, local volunteers are organizing waste education programs in schools across Aqaba, the only Jordanian city with direct access to the Red Sea.
“In a diverse region such as the Middle East it is important that everyone, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arabian Sea, helps reduce the impact of waste on the environment and the surrounding seas and oceans,” said Ian Kiernan AO, chairman and founder of the Clean Up the World project.
Participation is expected to increase in countries all over the Middle East, including new members such as Saudi Arabia.
“It is wonderful to see an increase in participation in this region and I encourage more groups and people to register for free as members of Clean Up the World and take simple, positive steps to protect their environment,” said Kiernan.
By joining Clean Up the World members become part of a global network of people and organizations concerned about the environment that is endorsed by UNEP.
