JEDDAH: The Kingdom’s newly formed Environment Council, dedicated to striving for more sustainable development, held its first meeting yesterday at the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection (PME) headquarters.
The council’s objective is to lead the Kingdom to rank among the top 20 environmentally friendly countries in the world and achieve the set goals for sustainable development no later than 2020. “One of the roles will be to monitor upcoming projects in the Kingdom to ensure they do not afflict harm on the environment,” said PME President Prince Turki bin Nasser who chaired the first Environment Council.
The council that was established under a royal decree passed by the Council of Ministers five months ago. It is composed of 15 members representing all government bodies. “The objective is 20-20. To rank among the top 20 countries in environment protection and achieve the countries set goals of sustainable development no later than 2020,” said Prince Turki, adding that the council’s first meeting focused on setting the objectives, defining the roles and organizing a plan of action.
“The government is very keen on protecting the environment and developing through modernizing the environmental systems and regulations and establishing environmental infrastructure,” he said. “Everyone is responsible for the environment. It’s the responsibility of the government, private sector and the community. That is why coordination among the governments’ various sectors is of the essence.”
The vision behind the council is to build a unique environmentally friendly society and create a sustainable developed community.
