KUWAIT: Kuwait's Environment Public Authority (EPA) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia yesterday inked a memo for bilateral cooperation in environment protection in Kuwait. Speaking to reporters following the signing of the memo, EPA Board Chairman and Director-General Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said it is the second memo to be clinched by both sides, saying it will largely help in attaining environment preservation goals.

Apart from the memo, four cooperative agreements were hammered out by the authority and the UN program with a view to protecting environment, boosting Kuwait's capabilities for addressing climate change and fighting pollution, he said. The fresh deals reflect Kuwait's commitment to exerting efforts and harnessing energies for environmental reform, he said, elaborating that the memo has a duration of four years, while the new deals have a period of two years.

On the basis of this cooperation, the UN program will throw much weight behind Kuwait's endeavor to revamp its capabilities in various environmental domains and to launch fresh joint ventures, he pointed out. All these efforts and agreements would unquestionably have positive impacts on Kuwait's development vision globally, expected the Kuwaiti official.

UNEP Representative - Regional Director for West Asia Sami Dimassi

On his part, UNEP Representative - Regional Director for West Asia Sami Dimass said in a press statement that this cooperation mainly aims at stepping up Kuwait's environment endeavors, and reflecting common priorities for the UN body and Kuwaiti authority. Pointing out a 2019 MoU, he said this renewed cooperation shows fervent environment efforts and agreement on new and fruitful projects. The UN program will help Kuwait work out a national chemical safety blueprint and ensure safe management and usage of chemical substances, he underlined. - KUNA