The French embassy in Qatar and Elite Paper Recycling have signed a partnership declaration yesterday on “Public Diplomacy for Sustainability” under the “Green Embassies” project and the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture.
The agreement was signed by French ambassador Franck Gellet and Elite Paper Recycling chairman Abdulla al-Suwaidi.
Speaking at a press conference following the signing ceremony, Gellet noted that he is hoping that 2020 would be considered an “ecological year” in Qatar.
“The French embassy and Elite Paper Recycling have shared good co-operation for the past two years, and we thought that it would be an appropriate time to formalise our relationship and to make it public by announcing this signing ceremony, which, in our view, is a new impetus to this co-operation and a new framework for our partnership since 2017.
“We believe that it is a perfect illustration of the strong involvement of the French embassy in Qatar in environmental issues, and we hope that this partnership will be used as an example for others and that together we will continue our work in raising awareness of this important initiative in Qatar and beyond,” Gellet said in a speech.
According to al-Suwaidi, Elite Paper Recycling’s relationship with the French embassy started in 2017.
“The French embassy was the first embassy that started recycling with Elite Paper Recycling. Today, we are taking things seriously and thinking more of the next generation and the future.
“Elite is now recycling more than 3,500 tonnes of paper per month; that all started two years ago with the French embassy, and that small amount then has grown.
“We are happy to announce that the first people that started recycling with us were from the French embassy, who believed in our capability,” al-Suwaidi said.
Gellet noted that while the agreement signing is “a small step” and “symbolic”, the embassy’s partnership with Elite Paper Recycling also reflects the commitment between France and Qatar.
It is also a way “to herald the commitment” of both countries in fighting global warming, he continued.
“Not only do France and Qatar share the same vision and willingness to fight climate change, but in September last year on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York, our two heads of state, President Emmanuel Macron and HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, co-chaired the Climate Finance initiative.
“During this period, His Highness the Amir announced the contribution of $100mn, which is very significant to the Green Climate Fund.
“2020 is also the Year of France, and there is a strong exposure of France, which is why we raised the question of environment,” Gellet added.
Al-Suwaidi also announced that Elite Paper Recycling will be inaugurating the “Eco Dome”, an event that aims to teach young students the importance of recycling and the need to recycle paper.
“If we don’t recycle, this will cause a negative impact on the earth, such as global warming; there are fires in the Amazon and in Australia and these will impact our atmosphere and our oxygen supply,” al-Suwaidi stressed.
French ambassador Gellet and Elite Paper Recycling chairman al-Suwaidi after signing the partnership declaration in a ceremony held in Doha yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma
