30 July 2006

The Jordan Natioanl Committee Sends a Call For Action On Implementing IUCN’S Resolutions on War and the Environment in West Asia

Members signing the letter

On the 25th of July the IUCN Jordan National Committee, responding to the human and environmental crisis in Lebanon and Palestine, wrote to the IUCN President (Valli Moosa) and Acting Director General (Ibrahim Thiaw) a ‘Call for Action: towards the implementation of IUCN Resolution 3.046’.

The letter requested action based on Resolution 3.046 adopted at the World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2004. The Resolution specifically tackles conservation in West Asia zones of violent conflict of West Asia and aims at strengthening IUCN’s ability to assess, monitor and disseminate reliable information on the impacts of war on the environment.

"The ecent events in Lebanon and Gaza got us really concerned about the drastic impastic on the human and natural environment, this is why we sought to activate the resolution," said Razan Zuayter of the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature.

The letter raises concern about the bombing of infrastructure and homes that contributes to increasing poverty and reverses advances towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals. “What is happening clearly undermines the three pillars of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental,” said Leila Hamarneh of the Arab Women Organization of Jordan.

The letter calls for a technical task force to undertake a fact finding mission in to the areas immediately post the conflict to assess the impacts and publish a report on the findings; to set in motion processes to assist in rehabilitation of environmental management systems; and to establish a longer-term capacity to monitor, mitigate and rehabilitate the impacts of war on the environment.

“In our area wars and conflicts are becoming endemic. This is why we need a monitoring system that would help reduce such devastating impacts on future generations,” said Ramzi Kawar from the Friends of the Environment Society.

For more information, please contact: The IUCN Jordan National Committee c/o  rima@hcst.gov.jo  or via hala.kilani@iucn.org