By External Source
SEOUL, Republic of Korea, Oct 12 2021 (IPS-Partners)

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) of the State of Qatar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize their joint cooperation to promote climate resiliency and green growth in the State of Qatar.

The MoU was signed by His Excellency Dr.Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Minister Municipality and Environment of the State of Qatar, and Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Director-General of GGGI. The in-person signing ceremony was held at the GGGI Seoul headquarters. HE Minister Al-Subaie was accompanied by H.E. Khalid Ibrahim Abdulrahman Al-Hamar, Ambassador of Qatar to the Republic of Korea, and several other Qatari dignitaries, and was joined by GGGI’s senior management team.

H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, President & Chair of GGGI welcomed the Qatari delegation to GGGI and witnessed the signing ceremony. Congratulating MME and GGGI on the occasion, he said, “I am pleased to see this new milestone in GGGI’s growing relationship with Qatar. This demonstrates Qatar’s commitment to environmental sustainability which is linked to the long-term prosperity of every country”.

H.E. Minister Al-Subaie stated that “Today’s ceremony resembles our commitment, not only to the initiatives we are taking domestically but also to international cooperation for contributing to the green transition. I hope that this will be the beginning of many years of cooperation between us which will also benefit communities around the globe.”

GGGI’s Director-General Dr. Rijsberman remarked, “Qatar is a founding member of GGGI, and we look forward to working together with MME in supporting sustainable development in Qatar. This pandemic has highlighted the need for strong international cooperation and the need for green growth approaches for a resilient world for future generations. I am pleased with this strengthening collaboration and look forward to our joint work under the MoU that will benefit both Qatar and encourage other GGGI Member countries as well.”

Qatar is currently a Member of the Council of GGGI. Under this cooperation agreement, Qatar will provide USD 7.5 million for scaling up GGGI’s Doha office operations to support the State of Qatar in green growth policy, planning, and implementation. In Aug 2020, represented by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Qatar signed a Host Country Agreement with GGGI to formally impart diplomatic privileges and immunities to its Doha office hosted at the MME. GGGI also has a cooperation program with the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and formalized the partnership in October 2020 under which four QFFD-GGGI projects are being implemented to support climate resilience and green recovery in the Pacific, Caribbean, and West African regions.

Moderating the ceremony, GGGI’s Qatar engagement focal Dr. Pranab Baruah thanked involved colleagues at the MME and the Embassy of Qatar in Seoul for their various supports to advance the MoU process to conclusion.