Prime Minister Saad Hariri will attend Copenhagen

News

Prime Minister Saad Hariri will attend Copenhagen

Beirut – 18 November 2009: Today, a delegation from the Global League of Activists IndyACT and other Lebanese NGOs, met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri and delivered him a letter insisting on the necessity of Lebanon’s engagement in the international negotiations to fight climate change and make this cause a top priority for the new government especially that Lebanon is one of the most vulnerable countries toward this crisis.
The meeting was supported by Mrs. Noura Joumblat, Superstar Ragheb Alame, Minister Marwan Hamade and parliament member Akram Chehayeb who joined the delegation.

IndyACT demanded to include climate change crisis in the ministerial declaration and a pledge from the Lebanese government to use every possible chance to push world governments to take fast measures to tackle climate change and engage actively in the international negotiations.
The meeting took place as the date of the international summit at Copenhagen in December draws closer. The summit is considered by many the last chance to act before we reach the no-turning point which endangers the human civilization on planet earth.

According to the General Secretary of the United Nations, Ban ki Moon, climate change is the biggest threat to life on earth and we have less than ten years to avoid its catastrophic impacts.
“It’s a shame to see that Lebanon is indifferent toward such fateful negotiations while other countries considered politically weaker like Maldives Islands are changing the course of negotiations and pushing other countries to commit to their duties, especially that Lebanon is now a non-permanent member of the Security Council”, said Wael Hmaidan, IndyACT Executive Director.

IndyACT also suggested that Prime Minister Hariri heads the Lebanese delegation to Copenhagen. Finally, IndyACT demanded to form a national committee that includes all ministries and related administrations in addition to the civil society to put and implement a national long term plan to face this disaster.

Prime Minister Hariri confirmed that he will personally attend the negotiations in Copenhagen, and emphasized that “Lebanon’s position won’t remain weak and its position will be stronger during the negotiations”. He explained that he wants Lebanon to have an effective role in the global efforts to fight climate change.

Lebanon already began to suffer from climate change impacts like the increase in forest fires, droughts, the decrease in agricultural output, changing rain patterns and the decrease in snow cover on the Lebanese mountain tops. In the future climate change will destroy coastal areas due to rise in sea levels, and in the end we will reach full desertification.


-End-

Notes to editor:
Other NGOs in the delegation were: Chouf Cedars Reserve, Lebanese Green Party, Association of forest development and conservation AFDC

Further information on IndyACT can be found on:
www.indyact.org

For more information please call:
- Wael Hmaidan, executive director of IndyACT; Tel- fax: +961-1-447192; Mobile: +961-3-506313, email: whmaidan@indyact.org