On Aug 24 and 25, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Qatar Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) organized a two-day workshop on “Climate Change and Road to COP27” to train public officials on fundamentals of climate change, net-zero economy, and international climate regime. The 2nd day of the workshop also covered in detail the technical aspects and mechanics of the international climate regime, Paris Climate Agreement and associated implementation mechanisms. Areas to better prepare Qatar’s participation at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt were also covered.
The interactive workshop was well-received by close to 60 public officials drawn from various ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), Ministry of transport (MoTC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Foundation (QF), Qatar Free Zone, etc.
In his opening remarks, acting Director of the Climate Change Department at MOECC Eng. Saad Abdullah Al Hitmi touched upon Qatar’s achievements in climate action. GGGI Country Representative Dr. Pranab Baruah provided an overview of the MOECC-GGGI Cooperation Program activities that started in Jan 2022 with the opening of GGGI Qatar office under a Host Country Agreement and earmarked program agreement signed with the State of Qatar. The workshop content was developed by a team of GGGI and external experts and was delivered by Dr Pranab Baruah and Dr Amr Osama Abdel-Aziz, an eminent expert on climate diplomacy and a seasoned climate negotiator from Egypt.
GGGI is working with MoECC and diverse stakeholders to deliver a number of activities in the coming years to support the State of Qatar in climate change policy, planning and implementation. These includes developing green economy related strategies and action plans for Qatar to maximize economic diversification opportunities and support future NDC or LT-LEDS preparation under the Paris Climate Agreement, GGGI’s supports also include national adaptation planning, circular economy promotion, national MRV system development, and facilitate sustainable finance frameworks. The workshop was delivered under GGGI Qatar’s dedicated work stream on capacity building and knowledge sharing work stream. Previous activities under the workstream included capacity building on Long-term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) and sustainable bonds.
Efforts were made to minimize environmental impact of the workshop by eliminating the use of paper and plastics during the proceedings. Healthy food options were served during breaks and food waste was eliminated through distribution of remaining food to workers and staff in reusable containers. The CO2e emission from the workshop was estimated and will be offset with credits sourced from suitable emission reduction projects.
