Geneva – On the sidelines of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS) held in Geneva, Dr. Nisreen Al-Tamimi, Chairperson of the Environment Quality Authority, met with Ms. Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Mr. Rolf Bayh, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions. Colonel Lutfi Nasser, Director of the Anti-Trafficking and Inspection Department at the Palestinian Customs Police, participated. Dr. Al-Tamimi praised the role of the Palestinian Customs Police in controlling the smuggling of environmental goods.
Dr. Al-Tamimi discussed with Andersen the latest developments related to assessing the environmental damage resulting from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. She emphasized the importance of integrating UN and international efforts to monitor this damage and support Palestinian national efforts in documenting and responding to the grave environmental impacts. The meeting also addressed ways to enhance technical and institutional support for the State of Palestine, especially in light of the genocidal and environmental war it is facing, which has directly impacted natural resources and public health and hindered sustainable development efforts.
In a separate meeting, Dr. Al-Tamimi and Mr. Bayeh discussed the funding mechanisms available under international environmental agreements and the role of States Parties and UN institutions in enabling developing countries, including Palestine, to implement their national environmental plans, despite the political and logistical challenges they face.
Al-Tamimi emphasized that the continued aggression against the Palestinian environment requires the international community to take serious action to provide the necessary tools to ensure the sound management of waste and chemicals, and to move forward with environmental recovery and capacity building projects.
It is worth noting that Dr. Nisreen Al-Tamimi is heading the State of Palestine's delegation to the Conference of the Parties to the International Environmental Conventions (COP25), as part of national efforts to mobilize international support and draw the international community's attention to the environmental crimes committed against the Palestinian people. She also hopes to leverage international platforms to enhance Palestinian presence and defend its environmental and humanitarian causes.