His Excellency Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, President of the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), said that the specialised forums and workshops organised within the activities of the Shaikh Zayed Chair for Environmental Sciences, which is hosted by the university since 1997, signifies the confidence of the leaders of the GCC countries and their commitment to the principles and foundations for which AGU was established as a regional centre for knowledge and environmental leadership.

The President also explained that this academic chair also demonstrates the great and deep interest of the GCC countries in the environment and its regional and global importance, as well as adopting policies to preserve it as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development.

This came during the opening of the training workshop on “Integrated Environmental Assessment and Creating State of the Environment Reports”, organised by the College of Graduate Studies (CGS) within the activities of the Shaikh Zayed Chair for Environmental Sciences, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia, and in cooperation with the UNEP Global Environment Outlook (GEO).

Dr Al Fuhaid highlighted that this workshop represents a collaborative effort based on the partnership between the university and the UNEP, represented by its regional office for West Asia.

Moreover, the President stated that more than 24 specialists in environmental sciences, including academics, researchers, experts, trainers, teachers, and policymakers, who are participants in environmental assessment and reporting within the West Asia region, have attended the workshop, underlining that their participation comes as a direct result of this shared vision.

“The importance of preparing effective integrated environmental impact assessment and state of the environment reports cannot be overstated, as these tools provide a critical basis for informed decision-making and environmental policy formulation when addressing environmental challenges. By preparing future trainers, this workshop directly contributes to building a strong regional network of experts capable of directing environmental management in all West Asian Arab countries,” Dr Al Fuhaid said.

He also expressed his confidence in the results of this collaborative effort and his pride in the university’s trainers; Prof. Ebrahim Abduljaleel, Prof. Mohammed Abido, and Prof. Waleed Zubari, for their contribution to implementing this workshop and empowering a new generation of environmental leaders equipped with the ability to analyse the environment and prepare balanced scientific reports about it, adding that this will ultimately contribute to shaping a sustainable future for the Gulf and Arab region.

On his part, Dr Abdul-Majeed Haddad, Regional Director of the UNEP’s West Asia Office, expressed during his opening speech his pride in the historical partnership between his organisation and AGU, mentioning that the university has contributed and continues to provide the region with distinguished expertise in this field since the first global report.

He emphasised that integrated environmental assessment and creating state of the environment reports is a shared vision about the state of the environment and how to develop it, considering it as an effective tool for all those concerned with environmental affairs.

Elaborating further, Dr Al Haddad explained that the UNEP globally and in West Asia particularly attaches great importance to environmental assessment processes starting from the Environment Outlook for the Arab Region, which was launched in 2010, reaching to the report on the status and outlook of the environment in GCC countries report.

In addition, he highlighted technical assistance provided by UNEP to a number of Arab countries in creating reports on their national environment.

Also present at the workshop was Dr Waleed Zubari, Dean of the CGS, who explained that this three-day workshop relies on interactive presentations, group discussions, case studies practical exercises practical training sessions with technical support from the UNEP GEO.

Prof. Zubari clarified that the workshop aims to ensure participants’ interaction with scientific content, exchanging experiences, and cooperating with their peers in producing the required reports, with a focus on enhancing their understanding of the principles and methodologies of integrated environmental assessment, improving their writing skills, and mastering data analysis methodologies to enhance the quality and impact of their reports, after explaining the importance of state of the environment reporting processes, and effectively training them on integrated environmental assessment methodologies and creating state of the environment reports.