Suggested Priorities in the New National Environmental Action Plan 2006-2012

The Ministry of Environment has formed in July 2005 a committee of its staff to undergo the process of review of previous and current environment and development strategies, and perform a detailed content analysis of those strategies resulting in a suggested conceptual framework for a new Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) that will cover the period 2006-2012

The taskforce produced a final report (in Arabic) in October 2005 including a detailed content analysis and suggested conceptual framework for the NEAP. The process of developing the new Environmental Action Plan will depend on the availability of financial and technical support and expected to be implemented in 2006.

The taskforce reviewed in details 19 national strategies , action plans and policies and after a comprehensive content analysis it has reached a list of suggested strategic themes to be highlighted in the new NEAP. The issues to be highlighted as priorities will be:

Issues Highlighted by the National Agenda:

1- Institutional and legislative framework.

2- Waste management.

3- Air Pollution.

4- Biodiversity and Ecosystems.

5- Desertification.

6- Marine Environment.

Issues of National Priorities in other sectors:

1- Water Resource Management.

2- Sustainable Energy.

Issues not adequately covered by other sectoral strategies:

1- Poverty and Environment.

2- Environmental Economics.

The taskforce has also identified a set of cross-cutting issues that will be discussed across all the previous themes including capacity building, education and awareness, information management, science and technology and public participation.

It is expected that the Ministry of Environment will launch the process of developing the NEAP in the middle of 2006.