Green Economy Needs to Be Seen From Right Perspective: OIC

KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 (Bernama) -- The discourse on the green economy should be seen from the right perspective, namely, as building a pathway towards sustainable development without deviating from the core economic, social and environmental issues, said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The OIC pointed out that sustainable development is central to its overall agenda, which encompasses economic development, poverty alleviation, trade enhancement, rural development, micro-finance, and environmental protection and health. In a statement issued in conjunction with World Environment Day on Tuesday, the OIC declared that it was fully aware of the connection between development and environmental sustainability, and that it attached high priority to environmental and climate change concerns. The Jeddah-based organisation said that this year's World Environment Day is particularly significant as it has come just two weeks before the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The theme of the day - "Green Economy: Does it include you?" - also serves as a timely reminder of the crucial need to adopt inclusive approaches and solutions to address the challenges of sustainable development, the OIC said. The 57-member state organisation reported that the 5th Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers adopted the Islamic Declaration on Sustainable Development last month, reaffirming OIC member states' commitment to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) principles and objectives. The declaration calls upon the international community to renew its efforts to meet the goals defined by the UNCED through greater international cooperation and through more robust and effective institutional frameworks for sustainable development that are backed by the necessary financial and technical resources. It also urged developed countries to honour their financial commitments to sustainable development and to take concrete steps towards debt cancellation, easy access to markets, technology transfer and capacity-building assistance. The OIC General Secretariat has also started efforts to foster international cooperation to address the challenges of environmental degradation; population growth; depletion of resources; and water, food and energy security. In this regard, OIC noted that the Conference of OIC Ministers Responsible for Water and the Preparation of the OIC Green Technology Blue Print, which was held in March this year, had adopted the OIC Water Vision 2025. -- BERNAMA