January 2011
AFED Highlights
AFED News in a Monthly E-Bulletin
January 31, 2011
* The 100 Member Campaign
AFED Executive Committee decided in its meeting in Sharjah, on 23 January, to carry out a regional campaign to attract 100 new members to AFED in 2011. Each of the Board of Trustees members committed to sign up five new institutional members.
* New AFED Brochure
Help Build a Green Future, Enroll Now is the slogan of a new brochure produced by AFED, designed to attract new members through highlighting the organization achievements and programs. The brochure has been designed by Weber Shandwick for public relations, an AFED corporate member.
* Water Report Summary and Recommendations
AFED produced a booklet in English and Arabic containing the executive summary of its 2010 report on water, and the recommendations of the annual conference. The booklet will be distributed to all public, private and academic institutions involved in water management and policies, and in the roadshow planned by AFED to present the report findings in selected Arab capitals. Copies are being sent to all subscribers of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia magazine.
* Executive Series on Green Economy
Two seminars will be offered to AFED members, one on principles and guidelines of sustainability reporting, and the other on challenges and opportunities of green finance.
* Arab Water Efficiency Roadshow
AFED has commissioned the authors of its Water Efficiency Handbook to present a week-long roadshow in six countries. The program includes seminars on improving water efficiency in various sectors, and kick-starts members’ efforts to develop water efficiency audits in facilities of AFED members.
* Green Economy Report Consultations
Consultation meetings among authors and editors of AFED 2011 annual report on transitioning to green economy will be held on 14April in Cairo (hosted by CEDARE), 18 April in Beirut (hosted by the American University of Beirut) and 20 April in Amman (hosted by University of Petra). AFED Members have been invited to nominate representatives to participate in the consultations.
* AFED 2011 Annual Conference
Negotiations between AFED Secretariat and the Qatari authorities to host the forthcoming annual conference in Doha are progressing. The subject of this year’s annual report is transitioning to green economy, highlighting eight sectors: energy, water, agriculture, industry, cities/green buildings, transport, tourism, and waste management. The two preliminary dates discussed are 17-18 or 24-25 October. Final dates will be announced accordingly.
* Arab Action Plan on Climate Change
AFED has been involved in developing an Action Plan on Climate Change for the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE). AFED Secretariat is preparing comments on the second draft of the plan, which will be discussed at a meeting at the League of Arab States in Cairo, on 13-14 March. AFED will be represented by three of its climate change report authors. The final version will be submitted to the Arab Summit through CAMRE for endorsement.
* AFED Climate Change work in World Bank Report
The World Bank (WB) is preparing a report on adaptation to climate change in the Arab region, in cooperation with the League of Arab States, to be released in March 2012. Dorte Verner, Climate Change Coordinator at WB, announced at the opening meeting of authors and advisors that AFED report Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries has been considered as a main reference during preparations of the flagship WB study. Five of AFED report authors will contribute to the new report.
* 5 New Board Members
Five new members were elected to AFED Board of Trustees, after a board meeting approved the nominations. The new members are: Dr. Saif Ali Al-Hajari (Qatar), vice chairman of Qatar Foundation; Dr. Asma El-Kasmi (Morocco), director of the Arab Water Academy in Abu Dhabi; Mr. Basil Al-Ghalayini (Saudi Arabia), Chairman and CEO of BMG Financial Group; Mr. Nazih Zeidan (Lebanon), former Assistant to the President and Director of Development at AUB; Dr. Mansoor Al-Jamri (Bahrain), founder and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Wasat Newspaper.
* New Auditor Appointed
AFED has appointed Deloitte & Touche as its external auditor to audit its financial statements for the year 2010. It is one of the four largest international accountancy and professional services firms, and very well represented in the Middle East region. It is committed to promoting the environment and its sustainability through various measures adopted for this process.
Arab Forum for Environment and Development
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: (+961) 1 321800
Fax: (+961) 1 321900
info@afedonline.org
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