logo
Municipality ministry participates in 'Cleaner Beach' initiative to enhance environmental awareness among children

Municipality ministry participates in 'Cleaner Beach' initiative to enhance environmental awareness among children

Qatar Tribune01-06-2025
DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality has taken part in the 'Cleaner Beach' initiative, organised by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Ambassadors, as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting grassroots environmental initiatives and fostering a culture of sustainability and environmental awareness among children.
The event, held at one of the nation's beaches, saw the participation of over 200 children, with Assistant Undersecretary for Public Services Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality, Eng Abdullah Ahmed Al Karani, in attendance.
Eng Al Karani lauded the environmental awareness and sense of responsibility demonstrated by the children during the on-ground activities, which included beach cleanup operations and tree planting.
The event epitomized a bright image of an emerging generation that wields the responsibility toward the environment. The Ministry is committed to supporting and hosting beneficial environmental initiatives as an investment in deepening the culture and building a more sustainable future, Al Karani underlined in press remarks.
In addition, Eng Al Karani reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to backing all voluntary and societal efforts that help protect natural resources and enhance the SDGs.
The event featured a broad range of activities, chiefly educational workshops, traditional games, and environmental contests, in addition to an art exhibition focused on recycling and environmental art.
Chairman of the Friends of the Environment Centre, Dr Saif Ali Al Hajari, and Mohammed Hashem delivered awareness-raising lectures that addressed positive environmental behaviors as part of a program designed by a group of school students participating within the SDGs Ambassadors.
The event wound up with a beach cleanup campaign and the planting of olive trees, conducted in collaboration with the Public Works Authority 'Ashghal'.
Participants also created a collective art installation that formed the word 'Sustainability' using recycled materials. The initiative was documented through aerial photography captured by a drone.
Executive Director of the SDGs Ambassadors, Iman Al Obaidly, highlighted that the event was a quintessential model for collective work and societal responsibility.
She indicated that it embodied the Ambassadors' commitment to spreading environmental awareness through leveraging innovative techniques that attract children.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US to pull out of UNESCO as membership ‘not in national interest'
US to pull out of UNESCO as membership ‘not in national interest'

Qatar Tribune

time15 hours ago

  • Qatar Tribune

US to pull out of UNESCO as membership ‘not in national interest'

DPA Washington The United States will withdraw from UNESCO by the end of 2026, the government said on Tuesday, only two years after rejoining the United Nations' cultural agency. 'Today, the United States informed Director-General Audrey Azoulay of the United States' decision to withdraw from UNESCO,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. 'Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,' it added. US President Donald Trump ordered a review of the country's involvement and funding in the United Nations in early February, just days after taking office for a second term. At the time, Trump said the UN had 'tremendous potential' but 'it's not being well run.' The UN Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Communication Organization (UNESCO) is tasked with promoting cooperation across those sectors and is best known for its World Heritage list, which includes sites recognized for their special cultural, historical or natural significance. In the statement, the State Department accused the organization of working 'to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.' 'UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.' Trump first pulled the US from the cultural agency during his first term in 2018, before the country rejoined under the Biden administration in 2023. World Heritage Sites in the United States include Yellowstone National Park, Statue of Liberty and the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.

China starts construction of world's biggest hydropower dam in Tibet
China starts construction of world's biggest hydropower dam in Tibet

Al Jazeera

timea day ago

  • Al Jazeera

China starts construction of world's biggest hydropower dam in Tibet

China has started building a mega-dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, which could become the world's largest source of hydroelectric power when completed, according to Chinese officials. The mega-project in the foothills of the Himalayas will include five hydropower stations on the river, which is also known as the Brahmaputra, further downstream in India, and the Jamuna River in Bangladesh. China's Xinhua state news agency reported that Premier Li Qiang attended a commencement ceremony for the dam on Saturday. Beijing had planned the project for several years, and approval was given in December last year, linking the development to the country's carbon neutrality targets and economic goals in the Tibet region. 'The electricity generated will be primarily transmitted to other regions for consumption, while also meeting local power needs in Tibet,' Xinhua reported after the groundbreaking ceremony in southeastern Tibet's city of Nyingchi. The project is expected to cost an estimated 1.2 trillion yuan ($167.1bn), Xinhua said. India said in January that it had raised concerns with China about the project, saying it would 'monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests'. India's Ministry of External Affairs said at the time that China 'has been urged to ensure that the interests of the downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas'. In December, Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the project would not have any 'negative impact' downstream, adding that China 'will also maintain communication with countries at the lower reaches' of the river. China annexed Tibet in 1950, and has built several dams on the region's rivers, prompting concerns from Tibetans about the potential impacts on the unique ecosystems of the Tibetan Plateau. Tibet's vast glaciers and major rivers provide fresh water to 1.3 billion people in 10 countries, according to Yale's E360 environmental magazine. The Yarlung Tsangpo is the world's highest river, reaching some 5,000 metres (16,404 feet) above sea level, and is considered sacred to Tibetans. The new dam is also being built just 30km (18 miles) from China's vast border with India, much of which is disputed, with tens of thousands of soldiers posted on either side. Once built, the dam could provide as much as three times as much energy as the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in central China. The Three Gorges Dam, which was completed in 2003, controversially displaced some 1.4 million people. Tibet is much more sparsely populated, with some 2,000 people displaced for the construction of the Yagen Hydropower Station in 2015, according to local media reports.

Qatar's business efficiency ranks fifth globally: MoCI
Qatar's business efficiency ranks fifth globally: MoCI

Qatar Tribune

time2 days ago

  • Qatar Tribune

Qatar's business efficiency ranks fifth globally: MoCI

Tribune News Network Doha Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Malki, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, chaired the second quarterly performance review meeting for 2025, in the presence of assistant undersecretaries and departmental directors. The meeting included a comprehensive review of the Ministry's key achievements in the second quarter, and an evaluation of overall performance in line with approved strategic plans. Among the notable accomplishments was the Ministry's winning of first place and the Golden Award in the National Cyber Drill 2024, organised by Qatar National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) under the theme 'Zero Hour'. The reporting period also witnessed the launch of the national initiative for promoting local production and subsidising the supply of red meat during Eid Al-Adha. In parallel, the Ministry facilitated import procedures by lifting restrictions for specific commercial activities and launched the virtual assistant 'Saif'. The Ministry also launched a public-private partnership project aimed at developing the beaches of West Bay and Al-Safliya Island, and adopted the Unified Economic Coding System (ISIC 4) for economic activities. The meeting also assessed performance indicators across various sectors and administrative units. Indicators from the Industrial Affairs and Business Development Sector showed that the manufacturing sector's contribution to real GDP reached QAR 13.4 billion in the first quarter, an increase of 5.50 percent compared to the same period in 2024. On the international front, the State of Qatar ranked fifth globally in the Business Efficiency Index and, for the first time, joined the top ten in the Global Competitiveness Index by securing ninth place. National products recorded a growth rate of 7.17 percent in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with 70 new products added in the first half of the year. Additionally, 160 factories obtained local value certificates. In the first quarter of 2025, 228 factories participated in export activities, generating a total export value of QAR 1.39 billion. The second quarter also witnessed the establishment of 2,911 non-Qatari companies, representing an increase of 640 percent compared to the same quarter of 2024. The Ministry is currently reviewing nine public-private partnership projects, three of which were introduced in the second quarter. In the Commerce Affairs Sector, the number of new commercial registrations increased by 103 percent compared to the second quarter of 2024. A total of 5,777 main registrations and 851 branch registrations were issued, while active registrations rose by 15.66 percent. This growth was supported by Ministerial Decision No. (60) of 2024, which reduced fees for services offered by the Ministry, and by the launch of a service enabling company formation by foreign investors from abroad with minimal requirements (a valid passport copy). These initiatives accelerated the fulfillment of target performance levels for new registrations during the quarter. The number of active commercial licences rose by 2.04 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Meanwhile, the time required to process commercial registration services, reserve trade names, and issue commercial licences for investors was notably reduced. On digital transformation, the Single Window platform was enhanced with five new electronic services in the second quarter, with 33 additional services scheduled for release later this year. The share of digital transactions conducted on the platform increased by 5.38 percent compared to the first quarter of 2025. In the Consumer Affairs Sector, the average number of specialised licences issued rose by 34.32 percent compared to the second quarter of 2024. This growth reflects the Ministry's ongoing efforts to reduce violations by intensifying inspection and awareness campaigns. Performance indicators revealed that 58,180 inspections were carried out in the second quarter, accounting for 62 percent of active commercial licences, and representing a 47 percent increase compared to the first quarter. The meeting also reviewed safety levels of strategic reserves for supply commodities and animal feed. In conclusion, the meeting discussed a range of issues and explored solutions to strengthen the implementation of plans, improve performance efficiency, and enhance the overall quality of the institutional performance.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store