U N E S C O S U lta N Qa b oos P r i z E f O r E N v i r on m en t a l P r ese r va t i on 14 th a w a r d i N g C E r E m O N y • 2 0 1 7 U N E S C O S U lta N Qa b oos P r i z E f O r E N v i r on m en t a l P r ese r v a t i on 2 0 1 7 H i S m a j es t y S U l t a N Q a b oos b i N S a i d S U l t a N O f O m a N S U l t a N Q a b O O S P r i z E f O r E N v i r O N m E N t a l P r E S E r v a t i O N 3 4 The Sultanate is the habitat of Thousands of sea turtles migrate annually to lay their eggs on the Sultanate’s shores various types of birds ابراهيم البو�سعيدي Ibrahim Al Busaidi con t en t S Speech of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said on the occasion of the Earth Summit - Brazil, June 1992 ......................6 Foreword by Her Excellency the Minister of Education, Sultanate of Oman ............................................................................8 Foreword by Her Excellency the Director-General of UNESCO ....................................................................................................11 Seventeen goals to transform our world .........................................................................................................................................12 A Common Cause for all Nations - The Paris Agreement ........................................................................................................... 15 History and Statutes of the UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation ............................................ 16 Winners of the UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation From 1991 to 2017 and their contribution to protecting the environment ..............................................................................22 Activities, research projects and most important achievements pertaining to environment by Kalesnik F, Sirolli H, Iribarren L, prize laureates 2015. ...........................................................................................................32 Facing the challenge of maintaining a balance between the demands of nature and the needs of man by The State Forests National Holding, Poland, prize laureates 2013 ..................................................................................... 36 Contribution from the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), prize laureates 2011 ..............................................40 Interview with His Excellency the Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, Sultanate of Oman............................. 44 Interview with His Excellency the Minister of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman .......................................................................... 56 Oman in the Executive Board of UNESCO ..................................................................................................................................... 66 Oman at a Glance..................................................................................................................................................................................70 6 14 th a W a r d i N G C E r E m O N y 2 0 1 7 . a m m a N . j O r d a N t H E S peech O f H i S m a j es t y S U l t a N Q a b oos b i N S a i d E a r t H su m m i t – b razil, 3-14 j U N E 1 9 9 2 On the occasion of the convening of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development it gives us pleasure to address the world community at large, especially the conferees, recalling their previous meeting in Stock- holm, that historic gathering, which is regarded as the first sound step for establishing a correct relationship between man and the environment. Since that meeting was held twenty years ago the world has witnessed numerous environmental catastrophes as a result of conflicts and other man-made pollutants before it has again realized the gravity of the present situation. We in the Sultanate of Oman and in the Arab world as a whole would like to pay tribute to the U.N General Secretariat’s decision, as well as to its role in organizing the Conference. We would also like to thank the friendly government of Brazil for the efforts it has exerted to make such excellent arrangements for the Conference. As human-beings co-existing on this planet we have gravely neglected the vital necessity of conserving the environment and natural resources due to the lack of collective coordination. Indeed, we have taken a potentially fatal opposing course of luxury and industrial progress, regardless of the resulting imbalance between development and the environment, and without taking into account the dire consequences of the effects upon the atmosphere and the ozone layer, river and sea water, the extermination of certain species, the destruction of forests, and the contamina- tion of once fertile soil. Should this continue, humanity will court collective suicide. The conservation of the environment is the responsibility of all of us, a responsibility that knows no political bounda- ries. Therefore, man, wherever he lives, must order his life accordingly. This must be done in a planned, rational way and taking into consideration the numerous causes of pollution, whether natural, biological, industrial, chemical or physical. We must set a limit to haphazard methods and protect what is left of our grazing lands and water resources against desertification and drought. U N E S C O S U l t a N Q a b O O S P r i z E f O r E N v i r O N m E N t a l P r E S E r v a t i O N 7 We also call upon industrialized nations to tem- per their heedless technological rivalry, which di- rectly contributes to this dangerous situation, and to strive to narrow the wide disparity which exists between their own and the developing countries, in order to redress the balance between development and the maintenance of a clean environment. We are sure that the Conference will give the utmost importance to the issues related to that subject. We, in the Sultanate of Oman, through our deep personal interest and the directives we have given our Government to act in concert with neighboring countries, are making energetic efforts to protect our environment and territorial waters from pollu- tion and other problems. Recently the Gulf region and the Middle East wit- nessed regrettable and painful environmental disas- ters as a result of regional conflicts. Unless those regional problems are properly settled, the efforts exerted to conserve the environment and to con- tinue the development process will be disastrously jeopardized. We hope that world detente and the positive trend being pursued in settling serious problems will per- mit us to work together, regardless of ideologies and selfish national interests, to address the envi- ronmental and development-related issues which face us in a spirit of reconciliation, amity and peace so as to secure a healthy life for ourselves and the generations to come. n 8 14 th a W a r d i N G C E r E m O N y 2 0 1 7 . a m m a N . j O r d a N f O r ewo r d b y H E r E x ce l l enc y t he m i N i S t E r O f E d uc a t i on S U l t a N a t E O f O m a N Among the priorities of the Sultanate of Oman’s development plans is ensuring the safety and preservation of the environment and its varied natural resources. This care emanates from the personal attention His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has devoted to environmental preservation in general and the preservation of the Omani environment in particular. The Sultanate of Oman is one of the foremost countries in the setting of regulations and laws to protect its environment and develop its natural resources in the belief that maintaining a healthy and diversi- fied ecological system is essential to the achievement of sustainable develop- ment. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs has enacted laws and leg- islation as part of its strategic plans to reflect the commitment of the Sultanate of Oman to international conventions and treaties related to preserving ecologi- cal systems and promoting sustainable development. The efforts of the Sultanate of Oman are not limited to the preservation of the environment at the local level, but are extended to establish international coop- eration and partnerships with other countries based on mutual understanding and dialogue. This concept of cooperation and partnership is based on the impor- tance of the common interests of countries in the preservation and management of environmental resources. Thus, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, during his visit to UNESCO in Paris in 1989, announced his intention to establish a UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation to illustrate the fruitful coopera- tion between the Sultanate of Oman and UNESCO in this field. U N E S C O S U l t a N Q a b O O S P r i z E f O r E N v i r O N m E N t a l P r E S E r v a t i O N 9 Since its launch in 1991, the UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation has made a significant contribution to encouraging scientists and institutions concerned with environmental issues from all over the world to conduct research and applied studies. This research has addressed issues and challenges facing different ecological systems, as well as promoting a favourable culture to strengthen the relationships between individuals and the environment through education and training on sustainable development. The UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation 2017 will be awarded to the laureates at the World Science Forum 2O17, which will be held in Jordan between 7th and 11t November 2017, which coincides with the UNESCO celebration of World Science Day for Peace and Development.