Manama, July 14, 2008: At a press conference held today at the Diplomat Radisson SAS, the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) announced that its First Conference ‘ARAB ENVIRONMENT 2008’ will be held on October 26-27^th, 2008, in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

It is being supported by one of the largest and most environmentally friendly aluminum smelters in the world, Aluminum Bahrain (Alba) who have partnered with AFED to host the event.

Mr. Najib Saab, Secretary General of AFED, explained that the participants in October’s pivotal regional gathering are to debate the Arab Environment: Future Challenges report which is the first comprehensive, independent expert report on the Arab environment.

He added that in addition to AFED members, the Assembly will be open to all major stakeholders: private and public sectors, policy makers, international and regional institutions, academia, civil society and media. Saab explained that this reflects one main goal for AFED, which is to bring together all major parties to engage in a meaningful debate for better environmental management leading to sustainable development.Led by Dr. Mostafa Kamal Tolba, the renowned international environmental pioneer and former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Arab Environment: Future Challenges report was written by 18 experts, with many more who participated in related research and review work.

Mr. Saab stated that the opening session on October 26^th is dedicated to announcing the findings and recommendations of the report, where the 18 authors will present their chapters assisted by professional multimedia tools.He added that this session will be followed by four sessions during which high-level panelists and other key stakeholders will debate environmental policy issues.

Alongside the authors, the speakers and panelists include: H.E. Abdulrahman Al-Atiyyah, GCC Secretary General, H.E. Ali Al-Naimi, Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, H.E. Khaled Irani, Jordanian Minister of Environment, H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources, H.E. Dr. Adnan Badran, former Jordanian Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Abdelrahman Al-Awadi, Executive Secretary of the Regional Organization for the Protection of Marine Environment (ROPME), and a host of experts and corporate leaders. Mr. Saab disclosed that the opening session will see the release of a documentary on the Arab environment, produced by AFED under the title: Arab Environmental Testimony. The documentary features the internationally acclaimed Arab environmentalist Dr. Mohamed Kassas, who will narrate the evolution of environment as witnessed by him over a span of 87 years and reflect on future challenges. Saab commented, “We wanted to initiate real debate involving all those concerned, rather than a traditional monologue-type discussion restricted to environmentalists.” He added that the report covers integrating environment in development planning, consumption and production patterns, the quality of water, air, marine life, lands and forests, in addition to waste management, food safety, climate change, biological safety education, awareness and laws.

The policy-oriented report also evaluates the progress toward the realization of sustainable development targets, assesses current policies and examines the Arab contribution to global environment endeavors. Ultimately, the report proposes alternative policies and remedial action, according to Mr. Saab.The conference is supported by OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Alba is the main sponsor of the conference which is co-sponsored by Petrofac, Amsi, Alturki Environmental, Kharafi National, GE, Ford, Aramex, Promoseven Weber Shandwick and a host of media partners.Mr. Saab thanked the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting the AFED’s First Conference and the sponsors for their valued support.