JEDDAH, 8 March 2006 — The third UK delegation of environmental specialists to visit Saudi Arabia in 12 months arrives in the Jeddah on Saturday. The group of companies, led by John Myers, Export Promoter at UK Trade and Investment in London, will give a series of road shows and hold discussions with companies and agencies around the Kingdom.
“This demonstrates the British commitment to work with their Saudi counterparts in trying to look for ways to solve some of the current environmental problems we have,” said Omar Saeed, senior trade and investment officer at the British Consulate-General in Jeddah.
The timing of the visit is apposite; this week, local newspapers reported a major slick of industrial pollution off the Corniche in South Jeddah. In the longer term, the development of the King Abdullah Economic City and the proposed major infrastructure developments in Jeddah will pose considerable environmental challenges.
The delegation’s expertise covers a wide area of environmental areas. The presentations and consultation will cover recycling, hazardous waste management, solid waste management, environmental consultancy, training and oil spill/marine pollution control technologies.
First working stop will be in Yanbu on March 11. Under the auspices of the Yanbu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Royal Commission for Yanbu, the team will give presentations to industries and factories and local environmental officers.
“UK Trade and Investment is supporting this program under the Technology Partnership Initiative (TPI),” Myers said.
The TPI aims to provide information about innovative and appropriate environmental technologies to rapidly developing and industrializing countries around the world.
Saudi Arabia is a signatory to the 1982 regional Convention for the Conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Environment and the base for PERSGA, the organization that monitors sustainable development in the area. Sustainable development in the areas of industry and tourism is high on the Kingdom’s agenda.
“We very much hope that the visit continues to see greater collaboration between environmental companies and organizations in the UK and their counterparts in Saudi Arabia,” Myers said.
The delegation plans to call on senior officers at the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment on Sunday to learn about Saudi Arabia’s successes in the environmental sector as well as to discuss areas of cooperation. The visitors then travel to the Eastern Province where they will give presentations on March 13 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Jubail.
