Symposium addresses importance of integrating efforts at sustainable development

The Qatar Media Corporation (QMC), in co-operation with the GCC's Gulf Radio and Television Organisation, held a symposium on the role of environmental media in sustainable development, held in the Cultural Zone of the Expo 2023 Doha on Monday evening.
The symposium was aimed at appreciating the efforts made in organising the Expo 2023 Doha, enhancing media co-operation in shedding light on environmental and media issues, determining ways in which environmental media could play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development goals, and establishing communication and exchange channels amongst media outlets and relevant authorities to consolidate integrated efforts to that end.
Discussions touched on the challenges that media outlets face in covering environmental issues and the steps needed to enhance the role of environmental media, such as improving training and encouraging in-depth investigations.
The symposium focused on the Gulf Radio and Television Organisation and the QMC’s contributions in the field of environmental media, as well as their initiatives and innovations in raising public awareness and stimulating a positive reception of environmental issues by the general public.
The symposium also addressed issues such as biodiversity challenges, natural resource depletion, and climate change.
Chair of the Expo 2023 Doha scientific and cultural committee, Dr Mohamed Saif al-Kuwari, discussed the Gulf environmental media's role in achieving the 2030 sustainable development goals, environmental media definitions, its history, in addition to the relationship between the most important global environmental issues and the sustainable development goals.
He also mentioned a number of organisations whose role was fundamental in the emergence of environmental awareness, which include Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and the Chipko movement in India.
Gulf Radio and Television Organisation director-general Majri Mubarak al-Qahtani praised the GCC countries' role in protecting the environment and its biodiversity, as well as QMC's contributions and its continuous cooperation in enhancing environmental awareness locally, regionally, and internationally.
Emirates Environmental Group co-founder and chairperson Dr Habiba Hassan al-Marashi discussed the topics, initiatives, and recommendations of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in addition to the work by the Emirates Environmental Group, highlighting the UAE's many environmental activities, including the hosting of COP28.
Wael Bushah, the general manager of Environmental Awareness at the Saudi ministry of environment, water and agriculture, highlighted the kingdom's role in the environmental sector and the importance of environmental media in raising awareness and introducing Vision 2030 and its ambitious goals, which are focused on achieving environmental sustainability.
He addressed the mechanisms for achieving environmental sustainability in the Saudi Arabia since 2016 and its launch of a number of regional, global and local initiatives.
Bushah presented the pillars of the Saudi green initiative and a number of initiatives directed at developing vegetation, reducing land degradation, protecting wildlife, habitats, and biodiversity, preserving resources, and stimulating sustainability.
Environmental researcher Hamad al-Khulaifi highlighted the relationship between environmental tourism media and the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the country's efforts in the field of natural reserves.
He stressed the importance of the role of the media in addressing environmental issues and involving government agencies, with a focus on biodiversity and enhancing social responsibility by raising issues through media so that they reach all parts of society.
Environmental activist Aisha al-Maadeed, the founder of Greener Future, noted that environmental initiatives are an effective communication tool to raise awareness, educate the community and contribute to preserving the environment.
Greener Future calls for replacing plastic bottles with environmentally friendly bottles, aligning with the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Al-Maadeed said there should be a focus on education and changing individual thoughts to contribute to environmental change in a positive and effective way, as well as for the country to support the efforts concerned with protecting the environment and for there to be continuous co-operation between government and private agencies to spread awareness.
Dr Mohamed Tayyash, an environmental consultant in Saudi Arabia, spoke about environmental media as a means of integration in institutional performance and awareness by focusing on the content of the media on development projects, plans, strategies, adoption of local and global environmental issues, the role of individuals and society in all its organisations, awareness in changing values and trends and achieving sustainable development.
An environmental media exhibition was also held on the sidelines of the symposium, highlighting the efforts of the QMC in this field.
Documentary works were also presented that reflect joint efforts to preserve the environment and raise the level of environmental awareness in society.