One of the sessions shed a summit "Our legacy" 2023, organized by Qatar Foundation, sheds light on Yemen’s experience in sustainable development, where the former Yemeni Minister of Water and Environment, Abdul Rahman Al-Iryani, touched on the challenges his country faces in order to achieve the goals of sustainability.
Al-Eryani pointed out, during the dialogue session that is being held within the activities of the summit that he is hosting "Our legacy – a hub for a sustainable future"a member of Qatar Foundation, which was managed by Haps Haweel, Director of External Relations, Office of the CEO of Qatar Foundation, to a set of challenges that stand in the way of achieving sustainable development, the most important of which is the environmental changes that affect the agricultural seasons, the growing number of floods and torrents, and waves of Drought during certain periods, in addition to hurricanes that lead to coastal erosion and damage to the marine environment.
He pointed out that achieving sustainable development requires preserving environmental systems, which have become fragile in hot and dry regions, which poses an additional challenge that must be faced. The former Yemeni minister said: "It is necessary to unify the vision between the political leadership, the local community and the private sector, to ensure a balance between economic and environmental development, which would make sustainable development more efficient and less costly.". The same speaker added: "Among the positive experiences that Yemen went through is the island of Socotra, which has followed a sustainable path to preserving the environment, thanks to the promotion of awareness among members of the local community." added:" The people of the island have realized the importance of following the path of sustainable development in any development process on the island, which contributed to achieving satisfactory results". The speaker also addressed the issue of water security, stressing that there must be a national consensus that the responsibility and preservation of water rests with all members of society, and that providing water for humans and animals should be a priority. Al-Eryani stressed the importance of indigenous knowledge and local environmental habits, which have been shaped over thousands of years, as a key resource when it comes to sustainable management, saying:" Our ancestors left us an intact environmental legacy, including soil, water, vegetation and wild animals, but the most valuable part is the local indigenous knowledge that helped preserve the environment in the past. Which should form the cornerstone of our knowledge today."
added:" As a first step towards achieving this, this knowledge must be scientifically documented, then the basic principles extracted from it, and then taught to future generations so that this knowledge does not remain only verbal."
To contribute to the protection of the Qatari environment.. in the focus of a summit session "Our legacy"An environmental activist calls on community members to pay attention to planting trees. In the themes of the Our Heritage Summit sessions, a Bedouin environmental activist called on every member of the local community to show initiative in order to protect the Qatari environment and promote sustainability practices through tree planting, during one of the sessions on the second and last day. bite "Our legacy" 2023, organized by Qatar Foundation at Msheireb Downtown Doha. This session shed light on the manifestations of the role that local knowledge can play in addressing environmental challenges, whether in the present or in the future. In the context of this, environmental activist Ali Talib Al-Hanzab focused on the lessons and practices he learned from his Bedouin ancestors, which enshrined in him the concept of "Let’s take only what we need from our environment, without harming it". Evoking some features of this traditional knowledge, al-Hanzab said: " My grandfather was a mobile school teacher, as he contributed to shaping our knowledge of trees, plants, and agricultural seasons, which enhanced my awareness of the importance of preserving the environment and adopting sustainable practices, and now I look forward to passing this knowledge on to my children".
added:" Since we are Bedouins, we are constantly moving from one place to another, and we take from nature only as much as we need, and we are careful not to waste its resources. We’ve learned how to use the water we collect during the rainy season, and we’ve become aware of the dire consequences if we cut down trees. We didn’t have any waste, because we followed what is now called a " Recycling". We were making the most of every ecological resource available, because we knew that if we don’t have healthy ecological life, there won’t be any.". Al-Hanzab leads agricultural initiatives and devotes its efforts to preserving endangered Qatari plants. He has been distributing young plant seedlings to schools in Qatar. He also believes that Islamic values ​​are the greatest guarantee of the environment. And he said: "It’s great that our grandparents are such an integral part of our lives. If we keep in touch with them constantly, we will learn a lot from them. Moreover, the knowledge accumulated by our ancestors can serve as a source of learning for school students on how to protect our environment". He continued:" None of us are infallible, but what is important is that we embrace ideas, support innovative and initiative youth, and teach them to plant trees, but foster their passion for the environment and nature. We want the new generation to take the lead in sustainability". added:" Everyone living in Qatar should take it upon themselves to plant at least one tree or maintain a tree, and if you cannot do so, spread awareness about the importance of planting and not cutting down trees". He concluded: "Our ancestors had limited resources, but they were able to develop effective environmental solutions, and this must be extended to future generations, in order for our legacy to remain sustainable".
