On 10 November 2020, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) participated in the 13th Annual Conference of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), held in a virtual format, and chaired by the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
This year, the conference was dedicated to “Health and the Environment in Arab countries”, and gathered more than 600 participants, including policymakers from the Arab region, representatives of international organizations, environmental and development experts and members of research institutions.
The event focused on the relationship between human health risks and environmental degradation in the Arab countries, with particular attention to the challenges faced in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this occasion, the Assembly was represented by Hon. Ammar Moussi, member of the Algerian Delegation to PAM and of the PAM Economic Panel on Trade and Investment.
In his intervention, Hon. Moussi spoke about the importance and urgency of mitigating the negative health impacts associated with climate change and with the mismanagement of natural resources in the Arab countries. He also remarked that realizing more equitable levels of health and prosperity in the region will require policymakers to commit to sustainable development and to the targets of the 2030 Agenda.
Hon. Moussi highlighted the collaboration of PAM with the WHO in the dissemination of information regarding the pandemic and vaccine development among parliamentarians from the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions. He also remarked the work of the Assembly in promoting legislative reforms in favour of low-carbon companies and circular production systems in PAM member states.
In his conclusion, Hon. Moussi stressed the need for Arab countries to prioritize the health of people and of the environment in their post-pandemic recovery strategies, emphasizing the role of PAM as a pivotal forum for the exchange of best practices on green initiatives among parliamentarians and experts.
The Conference provided policymakers, researchers and development professionals from the Arab region with a valuable occasion to examine ecological public health approaches and to reflect on the capacity of national action plans to address the health and environmental challenges during the pandemic.
At the end of the conference, the Secretary General of AFED, H.E. Najib Saab, thanked PAM for the active participation in the Forum and for the continuous efforts of the Assembly in facilitating the cooperation between researchers and policymakers from the Mediterranean region in the field of sustainable development.