28 November 2007, Riyadh,
The United Nations agencies that are represented in Saudi Arabia carried out various activities and events to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the United Nations. All activities came to highlight the issue of Environment in the Kingdom.
The last activity was a forum on “Environment and Climate Change” held by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday 28 November 2007.  This one-day forum was held under the auspices of HRH Prince Turki bin Nasser bin AbdulAziz, President of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) to contribute to the spread of awareness concerning Climate Change and environmental degradation.  It aimed to raise the awareness of and share information with the audience which included people from the Government, the Private Sector, the Non-Governmental Organizations, the Relevant Commissions, and the Media. The objectives of the forum were to project Climate Change response as one of the key developmental challenges, to point out underlying causes contributing to global warming on the global and national level, to mobilize stakeholders in responding to Climate Change challenges, and to highlight the vital role of national and international partnerships in the face of global challenges. Speakers and moderators during the forum covered an array of international experts, regional experts, and national experts. 
Dr. Mohammad Tarek Srour, Senior Expert on Treating and Reusing Used Waters, and Mrs. Mayssam Tamim, Assistant Resident Representative and focal point for Environment Projects in UNDP Saudi Arabia, moderated the forum sessions.  Dr. David Aubrey, General Manager at Woodshole Group, tackled Historical and Regional Perspectives of Climate Change. Dr. Taha Al-Zaatari, National Programme Coordinator on National Communication , talked about Climate Change and the 1st National Communication on Climate Change in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Ahmad Al-Hazmi, Corporate Manager in the Environment and Industrial Hygiene Department in the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), delivered a presentation on Global Warming Symptoms. Dr. Bou Bakr Al-Safi, Chief Technical Advisor for a FAO project in Saudi Arabia, talked about Water Scarcity and Irrigation Management in the Kingdom. Mr. Matthew Savage, Consultant at Stockholm Environmental Institute, focused on Developing Local Adaptation Strategies in his presentation.
Great discussions and suggestions were generated during the forum and a final report was prepared to summarize the key points covered during the event and refer to the environment priorities for Saudi Arabia as set forth in the forum.

Forum Presentations:
- Dr Ahmad Al Hazmi, Global Warming Symptoms
- Dr David Aubrey , Historical and Regional Prespectives of Climate Change
- Dr Mathew Savage, Developing local adaptation strategies
- Dr Taha Zatari, Climate Change
- Mr Boubker Essafi, Water Scarcity and Irrigation Management in the KSA

Pictures:

Click here to view the pictures taken during the event

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