The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council participated today in a seminar entitled “Protection of the natural environment in armed conflict: How can parliaments ensure environmental protection through the implementation of IHL?”, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union via videoconference, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the participation of representatives of a number of parliaments, as well as experts in international humanitarian law and environmental policy.
The Shura Council was represented at the seminar by H.E. Mr. Yousef bin Ali Al Khater, Member of the Council.
The seminar discussed the protection of the natural environment during armed conflicts, with participants exchanging views on the immediate and long-term impacts of wars and conflicts on the natural environment and the resulting harm to human health and well-being, as well as biodiversity.
The seminar also examined the role that parliaments should play in ensuring the protection of the natural environment through the implementation of key rules of international humanitarian law at the national level. It further discussed the legislative and non-legislative measures that parliaments should take in peacetime to reduce the risk of environmental damage in the event of future armed conflicts, in addition to their role in promoting international dialogue and cooperation to strengthen the protection of the natural environment during wars.
During his intervention, H.E. Mr. Yousef bin Ali Al Khater addressed the ongoing military escalation in the region between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and its environmental repercussions. He noted that countries in the region rely heavily on the desalination of Arabian Gulf waters to provide drinking water, in addition to benefiting from fisheries resources. He warned that any environmental damage to the waters of the Arabian Gulf could threaten the lives of the region’s peoples and its marine life.
His Excellency affirmed that the State of Qatar has consistently called for adherence to and respect for all international conventions and believes in dialogue, diplomacy, and mediation as the optimal means of bringing the views of different parties closer together and resolving conflicts. He called on all parties to the conflicts in the region to commit to dialogue and diplomacy, promote regional stability, and spare the region the devastating consequences of potential environmental risks and disasters.