Under the auspices of the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority
Institutions launch the conference "Climate Change in Palestine"
Ramallah / Oxfam, the Federation of Palestinian Farmers Associations, Palestinian Agricultural Relief, the Palestinian Center for Economic and Social Development, and their partners held a special conference on "Climate Change in Palestine", with the participation of Dr. Nisreen Al-Tamimi, Head of the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, researchers, specialized academics and institutions Civil society working on issues of climate adaptation and climate justice in Palestine.
The conference was organized on Tuesday, corresponding to May 30, 2023, from nine o’clock until three o’clock in the afternoon, at the Carmel Hotel, Ramallah.
The aim of organizing the conference was to shed light on climate change issues and their impact on all aspects of life in Palestine and various sectors, especially the agricultural sector, and to provide an opportunity for actors, those interested or working in issues related to climate change to meet, discuss and agree on joint actions related to climate change.
The opening session included a speech by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Farmers Union, Mr. Raafat Al-Khandakji, a speech by the Director of Oxfam Foundation, Mr. Shane Stephenson, and a speech by the President of the Environmental Quality Authority, Dr. Nisreen Al-Tamimi, in addition to presenting a promotional awareness video on the impact of climate change on the agricultural and fisheries sectors, with a highlight About the measures taken by the Israeli occupation and their impact on restricting the movement of Palestinian farmers in the face of the effects of climate change.
The second session of the conference focused on the impact of climate change at the national level, in which Dr. Iyad Yaqoub from the Arab American University spoke about the effects of climate change on agriculture and the environment in Palestine, while Dr. Mahmoud Shatat spoke about the impact of climate change on water, food and energy in Palestine.
As for the third session, it focused on the government's efforts to deal with the phenomenon of climate change. Hanan Hijawi and Hadeel Akmis from the Environmental Quality Authority explained the role of the Palestinian government in limiting the effects of climate change on the most vulnerable sectors in Palestine in terms of adaptation and mitigation measures. Eng. Ibtisam Abu Al-Haija, from the Ministry of Agriculture, spoke about the Ministry's efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and efforts to enhance quality and productivity.
The fourth session dealt with the participation of civil society and research institutions in climate change, as it focused on the role of civil society in seeking to achieve environmental and climate justice.
It also focused on scientific research and its role in developing technologies to mitigate or adapt to climate change. Dr. Tahseen Siyasrah from Palestine Technical University (Khadoori) spoke in this aspect.
As for the representative of the Palestinian Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations Network, Eng. Abeer Al-Botmeh, she focused during the fourth session on smart knowledge and green initiatives, while the representative of Oxfam, Eng. Mustafa Tamizi, presented the foundation's strategy on climate change and the organization's quest to achieve climate justice.
The conference concluded with several recommendations made by the participating parties and attendees, in order to mitigate the effects of climate change on various sectors in Palestine.
It should be noted that this conference is supported by the Belgian Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.