The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), represented in the Department of Radiation and Chemicals Protection, yesterday held the first consultative meeting with chemicals companies operating in the state.
Assistant Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs Engineer Ahmed Mohamed al-Sada said the meeting confirms the ministry’s commitment to international conventions that ensure proper circulation of chemicals, as well as confirming the importance of constant co-operation and strengthening of the partnership between state institutions and the private sector in order to protect the environment and promote the Qatari economy.
He said, in a speech given on behalf of the Director of the Department of Radiation and Chemicals Protection Engineer Abdulrahman Youssef Abdul-Jabar, that the goal of the event is to identify the services provided by the department in dealing with hazardous substances in the environment and the adopted operational systems.
Another goal was identifying the difficulties faced by companies in order to develop the best possible solutions.
Al-Sada added that the ministry is interested in providing the best services in the field of chemical products in order to increase industrial output and economic growth.
He noted that the ministry is working on converting all paper transactions in various departments into electronic ones, in order to save time, effort and money, preserve the environment, and ensure that transactions are completed quickly.
He expressed the hope that the meeting would play a key role in that regard.
Al-Sada also highlighted the important role the private sector is doing to solidify the national economy, given this is one of the pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030.
In a statement to reporters on the sidelines of the consultation meeting, Abdul-Jabar said that the aim of the meeting was to introduce the services provided by the department in relation to hazardous chemicals in terms of circulation, storage, transport, packaging, as well as the difficulties faced by companies operating in this field, and their proposals for the development of these services, especially that these companies play important role and have obligations and international standards required to implement them.
He reviewed the recent achievements of the department, including the conversion of many paper-based transactions to electronic transactions and the completion of more than 20,000 transactions of licences and inspections, as well as international conventions in the field of chemicals and other related services.
He stressed State of Qatar’s commitment to the multilateral Rotterdam Convention designed to promote joint responsibility and concerted efforts among countries in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals, in particular pesticides, industrial chemicals and hazardous pesticide formulations, to protect human health and the environment.
He stressed that Qatar is in a safe position in terms of the risks that might arise from the use of these substances because of the obligation to implement the requirements and standards of the relevant international conventions, the entry, storage, transfer, circulation and use of those substances and the assertion that there were no abuses in this context, as well as the awareness of all, including companies operating in this area, of the need to apply these requirements in accordance with international standards.
Abdul-Jabar said that the department has made great strides in all these areas, both in terms of chemical and radioactive materials and hazardous waste.
He underlined that a radiological monitoring system is being developed and installed at all levels of the country.
He explained that the meeting was preceded by a successful consultative meeting held recently with companies operating in the field of hazardous waste, and another with the companies working in the field of e-waste, and produced important recommendations in this fields.
Abdul-Jabar said that the aim of all these consultative meetings is to introduce companies to the legislation related to the procedures required, and to strengthen co-operation between the public and private sectors in this field, explaining that the department deals with hundreds of companies, and last year 22,000 shipments related to chemicals were released.
Officials and delegates at the conference.
