Hands holding items for recycling.

The Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA) has called on organisations that have taken urgent action to combat climate change to submit their nominations for a new category in the upcoming 9th edition in September this year.

The award for the newly introduced 'Best Environmental Policies and Practices – Arab World' category is dedicated to programmes that draw on government communication strategies and take concerted action to combat climate change and its impact.

Governmental, quasi-governmental or non-governmental organisations that have implemented practical programmes for protecting the environment from the adverse effects of climate change and have forged partnerships to safeguard the environment and improve quality of life now and for future generations, are invited to submit their applications on or before July 14, 2022.

The award category will evaluate how the submitting entity has adopted environmental concepts based on the environmental laws and policies of their respective countries and how they have shaped political ecology to advocate sustainability and check environmental migration.

The submissions should demonstrate feasible steps that individuals can follow and implement easily.

The programmes submitted should also encourage environmental activism and raise society's awareness about environmental issues using reliable and modern environmental technologies, renewable energy, and achieving an ecological balance.

Furthermore, it should support scientific research that contributes toward finding solutions for environmental problems and their impact, which should be consistent with peoples' needs.

Commenting on the new award category, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, said: “Sound environmental practices ensure the sustainable future of humanity. Effective processes and policies that govern the environmental sector directly impact peoples' lives, and countries and institutions must follow this framework to work towards improving the quality of life of their people.”

Allay added: "We are pleased to honour efforts of organisations from across the Arab world that place environmental action high on their agendas and policies, and through their eco-friendly practices give momentum to the future of the green industrial and technological revolution and ensure the wellbeing of people. With this award, Sharjah seeks to shine a light on practices that create a balance between the rapid technological advancements needed for development and protecting the natural resources that the current and future generations rely on."

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Applications for 9th edition of SGCA categories have to be submitted online through www.igcc.ae and should include a video not exceeding five minutes that introduces the initiative. This should be accompanied by a word document with the name and logo of the entity, name and a brief of the initiative, date of submission, table of contents, and a foreword. The document should also include details of strategies, goals, and results in line with the submission criteria for the award category and must not exceed 1,000 words.

Recently, Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of climate Change and the Environment, today reiterated the UAE leadership’s keenness to drive joint efforts aimed at building sustainable food and agricultural systems in GCC countries during her participation in the 32nd Meeting of the GCC Agricultural Cooperation Committee.

Minister Almheiri commended the pioneering work of the Committee and expressed her hope that its decisions usher in a new phase of collaboration in GCC member states to achieve the objectives of their governments and peoples.

She stressed the importance of continuing to forge new partnerships and increasing the scale of existing joint projects among GCC countries to enhance food security, which has become a priority on the local, regional, and global levels. She also thanked the GCC Secretariat General for its dedication to pursuing this objective.

The Minister noted that the topics explored in the meeting had gained a paramount importance due to their impact on the food security in the region. These included the developments in the work of the Permanent Committee for Agricultural Systems and Policies, the Permanent Committee for Livestock, and the Permanent Committee for Fisheries.

Among the main points on the agenda were the Unified Legislative Framework for the Management of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Agricultural Quarantine Act, the Development of Sustainable Date Palm Production Systems in the GCC Countries project, the GCC Early Warning Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases, a proposal to improve the competitiveness of agricultural products from the GCC region, and the regulation and control of export and import of live aquatic animals and plants and their products.