First Time in
the Arab World.
Nairobi/Beirut,
30 April 2003 – Lebanon, a country whose fabled cedar trees
have been revered since the sea-faring days of the
Phoenicians, will host this year’s World Environment Day (5
June), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
announced today.
It will be the
first time in the 30-year history of this awareness-raising
event that the main celebrations have been held in the Arab
world.
This year’s theme, Water - Two Billion People are Dying for
It! echoes one of the most pressing environmental issues
facing the planet and its six billion citizens. The theme for
World Environment Day also supports the celebration of 2003 as
the International Year of Freshwater.
Rafic Hariri,
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, said: “We are very honored to have
been chosen as this year’s World Environment Day hosts. Over
the past decade, Lebanon’s challenge has been to rebuild its
infrastructure after the tragedy of the 1975 to 1990 civil
war. In doing so, we have tried to rebuild a country that
cherishes the environment and respects nature. We are
fortunate in having a youthful population that recognizes the
importance of environmental issues. I hope that, by hosting
this special day, Lebanon can build on this enthusiasm in our
quest for a healthier, cleaner and more equitable nation that
can act as a beacon in the region and the world”.
Kofi Annan, the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “One person in
six lives without regular access to safe drinking water. Over
twice that number – 2.4 billion – lack access to adequate
sanitation. Water-related diseases kill a child every eight
seconds”.
He added that the
international community had, at the Millennium Summit and the
World Summit on Sustainable Development, set “measurable,
time-bound commitments” to provide safe water and sanitation.
“These targets
must be met and surpassed if the Millennium Development Goals
of reducing child mortality, combating malaria, eradicating
extreme poverty and hunger, empowering women, and improving
the lives of slum dwellers are to be achieved,” said Mr Annan.
Klaus Toepfer,
Executive Director of UNEP, said: “We couldn’t be more
delighted that Lebanon has agreed to host this important
United Nations day in the International Year of Freshwater.
West Asia, the region in which the country lies, vividly
highlights the threats and challenges people across the globe
face in their search for that most basic and fundamental
element of life”.
“Trees, forests
and water are inextricably linked. So it is fitting that a
country whose national flag is the majestic cedar tree, is
hosting this year’s World Environment Day celebrations,” he
added.
The celebrations,
to be held in Beirut and around Lebanon under the aegis of the
Ministry of Environment, led by Fares Boueiz will include the
presentation of UNEP’s Global 500 Awards. These are made to
individuals and organizations that have made outstanding
contributions to the protection and conservation of the
environment. A total of eight winners will be honoured in
2003.
Freshwater in
West Asia
The latest Global
Environment Outlook, GEO-3, estimates that more than half the
people in the world could be living in severely water-stressed
areas by 2032.
West Asia, which
includes the Arabian Peninsula and the Mashriq countries of
Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Territories,
is likely to be the worst affected. Well over 90 per cent of
the population are expected to be living in areas with "severe
water stress" in less than 30 years unless urgent action is
taken, the report concludes.
GEO-3 says rapid
population growth is now, in some areas of the region, running
at three per cent a year triggering water stress and
scarcities in many countries. Over 80 per cent of the water
used is for agriculture. Demand is outstripping supply,
especially on the Arabian Peninsula where the water stress
index (expressed as a percentage of the water used to
available water resources) is more than 100 per cent for five
of the seven countries.
Ancient, often
irreplaceable, supplies of ground water are being "mined" to
meet demand. In some areas an influx of seawater into
underground aquifers is becoming an increasing problem.
Groundwater salinity in some coastal aquifers in the Lebanon
has risen from 340 milligrammes per litre to 22,000
milligrammes per litre in recent years.
Attempts to boost
the efficient use of water have recently begun in several
countries. Measures include support for modern irrigation
systems, and quality control and management of groundwater
supplies. Re-use of wastewater in the Mashriq countries has
risen from zero in the early 1970s to about 51 million cubic
metres a year by the early 1990s.
UNEP in West
Asia
UNEP’s Regional
Office for West Asia (ROWA), based in Bahrain, provides
support and advice on environmental matters to 12 countries.
Among other activities, ROWA is coordinating the regional
component of the Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA)
--which addresses water management, as well as the regional
component of the Global Plan of Action for the protection of
the marine environment from land-based activities (GPA).
Mr Toepfer added:
“It will not be lost on billions of people around the globe,
that this special day will also hold special significance by
being in the Arab world so soon after the recent conflict in
Iraq “. He said UNEP stood ready to assist in the humanitarian
effort for the benefit of the Iraqi people and their
environment.
A new report by
UNEP’s Post Conflict Assessment Unit (PCAU) on environmental
conditions in Iraq, published on 24 April 2003, offers a
preliminary assessment of the main environmental threats
facing the country and recommends actions for immediate relief
and long-term recovery.
In January 2003,
the unit also issued a Desk Study on the Environment in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories, which identified major areas
of environmental damage requiring urgent action. The study was
endorsed unanimously in February by UNEP’s Governing Council.
Lebanon: A Few
Facts from GEO-3
• Adult literacy
rates have risen over the past two decades to 92 per cent of
the population;
• 30 per cent of
the population is under 15 years old;
• Some 550
hectares of forest was lost annually in Lebanon between 1961
and 1997 as a result of fires, tree felling and urban
encroachment, among others;
• Lebanon is
among several countries in the region which have now
recognized the importance of forests and there have been
important moves to conserve them for the sake of wildlife and
to promote eco-tourism;
• 60 per cent of
the 3.5 million people living in Lebanon live in a very narrow
coastal strip;
• Soil erosion,
running at an estimated 33 tonnes per hectare, and
sedimentation pose a threat to coastal areas. Lebanon is a
member of UNEP’s Mediterranean Action Plan. In 2001, Lebanon
launched a Coastal Area Management Project in the south of the
country;
• Over
exploitation of aquifers in the coastal zone of Lebanon has
caused seawater intrusion with a subsequent rise from 340 to
22,000 mg/litre in some wells near Beirut;
• The cement
industry is responsible for over 77 per cent of industrial
emissions.
Notes to Editors:
Each year, the main World Environment Day (WED) celebrations
are held in a city at the invitation of the Government. This
year it will be in Beirut.
WED, considered
one of the most important events on the environment calendar,
is celebrated every year in more than 100 countries. The
occasion serves to inspire political and community action.
Governments, individuals, non-governmental organizations,
community and youth groups, business, industry and the media
undertake a variety of activities aimed at renewing their
commitment to the protection of the environment.
Individuals and
organizations are invited to post details about their planned
WED events and learn about what others are doing to celebrate
WED across the globe. World Environment Day web site:
www.unep.org/wed
For more
information, please contact: Eric Falt, Spokesperson/Director
of UNEP's Division of Communications and Public Information (DCPI),
on Tel: 254-(0)20-623292, Mobile: 254-(0)733-682656, E-mail:
eric.falt@unep.org or Nick Nuttall, UNEP Head of Media, DCPI,
on Tel: 254-(0)20-623084, Mobile:254-(0)733-632755, E-mail:
nick.nuttall@unep.org
UNEP News Release
