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National Implementation of Agenda 21
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Information Provided by the Government of Qatar to the
United Nations Department for Policy Coordination and
Sustainable Development
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This country profile has been provided by:
Name of Ministry/Office: Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture Environment Department Date:
Submitted by:
Mailing address:
Telephone:
Telefax:
E-mail:
Note from the Secretariat: An effort has been made to present all country profiles within a common format, with an equal number of pages. However, where Governments have not provided information for the tables appended to Chapters 4 and 17, those tables have been omitted entirely in order to reduce the overall length of the profile and save paper. Consequently, there may be some minor inconsistencies among the formats of the different country profiles.
All statistics are rendered as provided by the respective Governments.
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| APELL | Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level |
| CFC | chlorofluorocarbon |
| CGIAR | Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research |
| CILSS | Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel |
| EEZ | exclusive economic zone |
| ECA | Economic Commission for Africa |
| ECE | Economic Commission for Europe |
| ECLAC | Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean |
| ELCI | Environmental Liaison Centre International |
| EMINWA | environmentally sound management of inland water |
| ESCAP | Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |
| ESCWA | Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia |
| FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
| GATT | General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade |
| GAW | Global Atmosphere Watch (WMO) |
| GEF | Global Environment Facility |
| GEMS | Global Environmental Monitoring System (UNEP) |
| GEMS/WATER | Global Water Quality Monitoring Programme |
| GESAMP | Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution |
| GIPME | Global Investigation of Pollution in Marine Environment (UNESCO) |
| GIS | Geographical Information System |
| GLOBE | Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment |
| GOS | Global Observing System (WMO/WWW) |
| GRID | Global Resource Information Database |
| GSP | generalized system of preferences |
| HIV | human immunodeficiency virus |
| IAEA | International Atomic Energy Agency |
| IAP-WASAD | International Action Programme on Water and Sustainable Agricultural Development |
| IARC | International Agency for Research on Cancer |
| IBSRAM | International Board of Soil Resources and Management |
| ICCA | International Council of Chemical Associations |
| ICES | International Council for the Exploration of the Sea |
| ICPIC | International Cleaner Production Information Clearing House |
| ICSC | International Civil Service Commission |
| ICSU | International Council of Scientific Unions |
| IEEA | Integrated environmental and economic accounting |
| IFAD | International Fund for Agricultural Development |
| IGADD | Intergovernmental Authority for Drought and Development |
| IGBP | International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (ICSU) |
| IGBP/START | International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme/Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training |
| ILO | International Labour Organisation |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| IMO | International Maritime Organization |
| INFOTERRA | International Environment Information system (UNEP) |
| IOC | Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission |
| IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
| IPCS | International Programme on Chemical Safety |
| IPM | integrated pest management |
| IRPTC | International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals |
| ITC | International Tin Council |
| ITTO | International Tropical Timber Organization |
| IUCN | International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |
| MARPOL | International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development |
| PGRFA | plant genetic resources for agriculture |
| PIC | prior informed consent procedure |
| SADCC | South African Development Co-ordination Conference |
| SARD | sustainable agriculture and rural development |
| UNCTAD | United Nations Conference on Trade and Development |
| UNDP | United Nations Development Programme |
| UNDRO | Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator |
| UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| UNFPA | United Nations Population Fund |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children's Fund |
| UNIDO | United Nations Industrial Development Organization |
| UNU | United Nations University |
| WCP | World Climate Programme (WMO/UNEP/ICSU/UNESCO) |
| WFC | World Food Council |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| WMO | World Meteorological Organization |
| WWF | World Wide Fund for Nature (also called World Wildlife Fund) |
| WWW | World Weather Watch (WMO) |
Qatar is an independent sovereign Arab state with a population of about 650,000. Arabic is the official language, although English is widely spoken by the Arab, European and Asian communities who reside and work in Qatar.
Doha where 80% of the population live, is the capital and administrative center of the country. It lies on the eastern coast and houses the ministries, government departments, and financial and commercial institutions. Other major towns in Qatar are Umm Said (the industrial town), Dukhan, Al-Khor and Al-Shamal.
The Qatari economy is, to a very large extent dependent on income derived from the exploitation of oil, natural gas and subsidiary industry, which accounts for more than 90 percent of annual exports. The government has actively promoted the development of both heavy and light industry concentrating on in-country resources. Cheap energy has led to the development of a steel and iron industry, and healthy gas reserves have led to the establishment of chemical, fertilizer, and petrochemical industries. Cement is also produced in Qatar.
Oil has played a significant role in Qatar's economy accounting for about 85% of export earnings and 75% of government revenues. Currently, Qatar has oil reserves of about 3.3 billion barrels and also has the third largest reserves of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world, and according to a report by the international energy consultant firm Gaffney, Cline & Associates, possesses 30% of the world's proven gas reserves, but accounts for only 5% of the global consumption.
In the agriculture sector, the country is self-sufficient for 70% of its summer vegetables and 40% of winter vegetables There is some production of grains, eggs and poultry, however, the country is still dependent on food imports. The government has made an effort to strengthen the agricultural sector offering several incentives to investors. Qatar has 28,000 hectares of arable land. The government has also placed increased emphasis on the fishing industry.
Geographic and environmental factors
Qatar is located half way along the western coast of the Arabian Gulf falling approximately between the Latitudes 24 30' S and 26 34' N and the Longitude 50 40' W and 52 45' E. Qatar is a peninsula that extends northward covering an area of 11,437 sqkm. It includes a number of islands in the coastal waters of the peninsula. Hawar Archipelago, Halul and Al Bashiria are the most well known among these. The peninsula is approximately 165 km in length and 80 km in width, surrounded by the Persian Gulf from north and east, and by the Gulf of Bahrain from the west. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates form the south-eastern border of the country. The total coastline including the islands is over 700 km (approximately 23% of the total Gulf coastline). The shoreline of the mainland is irregular and has many bays, which are called locally 'Khawr'; this is an Arabic term used for a small elongated bay such as Khawr Al Udeeid, Al khawr, etc. There are also many Spikes (Ras in Arabic) which result from erosion and are particularly numerous, like Ras Laffan, Ras Abu Aboud, Ras Rakan, Ras Ashrij, etc. The land is stony and largely barren, and the climate is hot and arid. Humidity is high during the summer (May to October), and the average annual rainfall is around 75mm.
Seas around Qatar
The total area of Qatar's sea waters is approximately 35,000 sqkm (approximately 15% of the Gulf, which is approximately 240,000 sqkm). Qatar has an extremely shallow sea with an average depth of 30 m to the North and East of the peninsula (where the deepest water lies south and east of Halul island), towards the western side of the peninsula the (Gulf of Salwa) the average depth is only 20 meters.
The sea bottom sediments near Qatar's coastline are mainly hard sands, rocks and coral reefs. In the productive shallows, coral reefs are common on hard substrate and grass beds are widespread on soft bottoms. The Qatar space images from Landsat 1 indicates that the sandy bottom is spread over about 45% of Qatar's sea bed and approximately the same extent is covered by a mixture of mud and sand, whereas 10 % is covered by corals. Hydrographical and Hydrobiological features of the Sea around Qatar
Sea State
The wave height is an indication for the meteorologists to evaluate the sea state. Around Qatar the wave in the inshore water is generally around 1 foot, occasionally rising to 5 ft. In the offshore waters it is frequently between 1-4 ft. But the occurrence of `Shamal' wind contributes to rough seas and wave height may reach as high as 14 to 15 ft. Seas are described as smooth or slight when the wave height is 4 ft. or less, moderate between 5 to 8 ft. and rough over 8 ft.
Currents
The currents around Qatar are variable but rarely exceeds 1 knot for most of the year. Many factors have an indirect effect on these currents. In winter, the strong prevailing 'Shamal' winds turn the waters causing a little difference between surface and bottom water temperatures. In summer due to the high rate of evaporation and consequently the high salinity, the heavy salty Gulf water flows out through the bottom of the Strait of Hormuz. This is compensated by an inward surface flow of lighter and less saline Indian Ocean water and causes a predominantly westerly flow through the Strait of Hormuz during most months of the year and westerly flow along the northern shores of the Gulf, because of this feature, the current flow along the coast of Qatar flows anticlockwise. The monsoon winds of the Arabian sea have no direct effect on the currents of the Gulf.
Temperature and Salinity
Around winter the air temperatures average a daily maximum of 10C, causing the sea temperature to fall to 15C and even lower in the shallows. During summer, air temperatures rise to an average daily maximum of 45C and the sea temperature reaches 35C in August.
The high evaporation of the water especially in summer, the very low rainfall, and the little fresh water inflow from the land are the main factors which produce very high sea water salinity. The salinity within Qatar's waters varies mainly between 39 ppt and 41 ppt at the surface. At the bottom, close to the offshore boundaries salinity tends to be 1 - 2 ppt higher than that at the surface. Higher salinity water are found off the south-east coast with over 60 ppt inside the Khawr Al Udayd. Salinity are high throughout the Gulf of Salwa (western side of Qatar) ranging from about 55 ppt at the entrance to the Gulf to upwards of 70 ppt at its southern extremity.
Plankton
Biological production is considered relatively high in the waters of the Gulf. The plankton biomass in the northern, eastern, and south-eastern parts of Qatari waters were estimated as 500-100 mg/cu. m., 200-500mg/cu. m. and 150-200 mg/cu. m. respectively. These quantities indicate the high productivity of the water around Qatar.
Oxygen
The dissolved oxygen in the sea water is the most important factor for the life, breathing, growth and flourishing of aquatic organisms. The dissolved oxygen in Qatar's waters is found to be 6.5 mg/l (average) for most of the year. This is considered to be relatively high in eastern and northern areas around the peninsula. In summer dissolved oxygen decreases due to the high temperature and salinity.
Tides
Around Qatar, tidal variation is in the range of 1.6 m and results in the exposure of large stretches of tidal flats around the peninsula. Frequent occurrence of tidal anomalies, in comparison to the predictions in the tidal chart have also been reported. The Gulf of Salwa is protected from wave action not only by its orientation, but also by the stretch of extremely shallow water lying between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. These shallows form a barrier to tidal water movements, and the tidal amplitude within the Gulf of Salwa is much reduced.
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1. Name of Key National Sustainable Development Coordination Mechanism(s)/Council(s).
Contact point (Name, Title, Office): Telephone: Fax: e-mail: Mailing address:
2. Membership/Composition/Chairperson:
2a. List of ministries and agencies involved:
2b. Names of para-statal bodies and institutions involved, as well as participating of academic and private sector bodies:
2c. Names of non-governmental organizations involved:
3. Mandate role of above mechanism/council:
4. If available, attach a diagram (organization chart) showing national coordination structure and linkages between ministries:
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NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: No information available.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 3: COMBATING POVERTY
Focus of national strategy
Highlight activities aimed at the poor and linkages to the
environment
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: No information available.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 4: CHANGING CONSUMPTION PATTERNS
National policy objectives/focus
National targets
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: No information available.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 5: DEMOGRAPHIC DYNAMICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: No information
available.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 6: PROTECTING AND PROMOTING HUMAN HEALTH
Basic health care in Qatar is provided free of charge to all
residents including expatriates. However, a nominal fee for
annual registration and for prescribed medicines has been
introduced recently for non Gulf Co-operation Council persons
to decrease misuse and overburden on the health care system.
However, essential services such as emergencies, well baby
and maternal care, school health care, vaccinations against
communicable diseases etc. have been exempted from these
charges.
The Master Plan Update (update for the health care master plan
prepared by the Ministry of Public Health and Hamad
Medical Corporation, 1994) noted that the health care system in
Qatar was modeled on the Danish system, with strong
focus on community-based local health services providing primary
health care. The Master Plan noted that the system for
primary health care centres was designed with catchment area
populations averaging 11,000 persons. In addition, one of
the emerging trends and philosophies in hospital planning in Qatar
has been, and is expected to be, decentralization of
secondary health care services from centralized locations in Doha
to suburban and rural health care centres. Currently, the
catchment areas population for health centres outside Doha average
between 5,000- 20,000 and the health care centres in
Doha have catchment areas averaging over 35,000.
Monitoring of health programs is done through statistical analysis
of data collected by different departments of the
Ministry of Health, reports of short term WHO consultants, analysis
of patients complaints and numbers of patients visit
to health facilities in comparison to population. Available data
show that some aspects of health services in Qatar are good
and with good facilities.
Health education in schools runs through the school nurse, the
school doctor who visits the school two or three times a
year providing health services and health education, social worker
in the school and from teachers. Also health and
hygiene lessons are part of the curriculum in primary and
preparatory levels of education. The primary health centres have
social workers dedicated to providing health education.
The Preventive Health Department of the Ministry of Public Health
provides for the following services for identifying and
eradicating communicable diseases:
Follow-up of vaccinations given at health centres to prevent
out-break of communicable diseases.
Follow-up of contacts with patients suffering from communicable
diseases.
Detecting disease carriers and checking newcomers to the
country.
Study of disease patterns in the country and epidemiological
statistics.
Issue of 'Communicable Disease-Free' License to food handlers and
persons in contact with humans or animals.
Providing vaccination to travellers to endemic countries, and
vaccination to all inhabitants during epidemics in near-by
countries.
Ensuring quality of food and water.
Challenges
The following list summarizes issues and constraints facing the
primary health care implementation:
Since primary health care is provided almost free of charge there
is a tendency to misuse the services.
Lack of public awareness and health education.
Lack of personnel for planning and follow-up.
Shortage of trained staff.
The diverse nature of the community served by the system which
consists of people from different parts of the world.
Lack of adequate co-operation between sectors involved in health
services and health education.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Health care services in Qatar are
provided mainly through the Ministry of Public Health and Hamad
Medical Corporation in cooperation with other Ministries, health
care associations (e.g. Red Crescent, Qatar Diabetic
Association, etc.), health clinics operated by some public sector
and government agencies (police, army, industries) and
privately operated health clinics. Major industries in Qatar which
employ a relatively large number of personnel provide
health care services for employees.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 7: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE HUMAN
SETTLEMENT DEVELOPMENT
Latest 199_ Life expectancy at birth
Infant mortality (per 1000 live births)
Maternal mortality rate (per 100000 live births)
Access to safe drinking water (% of population)
Access to sanitation services (% of population)
Other data
Preparation of a National Human Settlements Plan
Physical Development Plan
A physical development plan (PDP) of Qatar has been prepared based
on an estimated population of 620,000 in 1995, and
going up to 1,000,000 in 2020. The capital, Doha and its
surrounding suburbs account for about 90% of the population of
Qatar. The PDP policies cover the following critical areas:
Water resources
Sanitation facilities
Coastal and marine environment
Conservation of natural resources
Impacts of development projects
Coastal zone management
Integration of Environmental Dimensions in Human
Settlements
Action on the following items have been taken:
Enactment of legislation covering environmental issues
Municipalities ensure general cleanliness, quality of food and
water
Environmental impact assessment for new development projects
including those of power plants, high voltage
substations and overhead lines.
Challenges
The main issues and constraints facing the implementation of plans
and policies related to human settlements, distribution
of population and the sustainable management of land resources are
as follows:
Lack of a comprehensive and coordinated physical development
strategy that will identify character and direction of
urban growth at national, regional, and settlement levels, as well
as land use compatibility and impact of urban growth on
physical environment.
Absence of well-defined legislative framework that provides the
planning agencies in Qatar with tools to effectively
control and direct physical development
Lack of proper utilization of existing planning and building
regulations due to absence of legal backing and technical
expertise
Absence of well-defined regulations for protecting physical
environment as well as procedures for assessing
environmental impact.
Inadequate coordination and interaction between agencies involved
in physical, economic and utilities planning and
infrastructure departments resulting in irrational utilization of
economic and physical resources. This is reflected in
improper phasing of implementation of projects for infrastructure
and public facilities which in turn affects the quality of
human settlements.
Following are some of the issues and constraints facing integration
of environmental dimensions in human settlement:
Rapid pace of physical development during the past few decades has
created extensive demand on infrastructure and
public facilities.
Lack of adequate coordination and interaction between concerned
agencies and departments, such as the Planning,
Environment and Public Health.
Lack of effective environmental standards and associated
legislation for their implementation.
Older districts have residential areas in poor condition inhabited
by less affluent expatriate workers from less
developed countries and these areas require redevelopment and
rehabilitation.
Inadequate number of trained personnel for implementation and
monitoring.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 8: INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT IN DECISION-MAKING
Qatar ratified the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) along with the principles of
Agenda 21. One of the principles calls for the commitment of the
State to institutionalize environmental impact assessment
for its new development projects.
There have been several international conventions within the past
ten years. The signing of these conventions helps in
promoting awareness of the people and shows the commitment of the
Government towards managing the environment in
the national, regional and global levels. Qatar has signed a number
of such conventions and is implementing these through
national and regional programmes. The Arab Declaration on
Environment and Development, signed in September, 1991 in
Cairo under the auspices of the Council of Arab Ministers
Responsible for Environment (CAMRE) was a major step in
implementing these conventions at regional levels. It also called
for providing adequate finances in the budget for national
issues through human resources development and related
programmes.
It is now realized that developments in science and technology can
cause a large number of environmental problems if
they are applied to Qatar without taking appropriate precautionary
measures. For instance earlier technology imported into
the country paid little heed to water conservation through
recycling. The water needs for agriculture and industry were
made up by supplementing desalinated water with ground water. As a
consequence ground water reserves have fallen to
precarious levels.
With the objective of importing the appropriate technology, a
policy has been laid down for environmental impact
assessment of new industries and major infrastructure projects. A
procedure for evaluation of projects has also been
brought out. This seeks to incorporate environmental considerations
at the early stage even when a project report is
commissioned. The approved procedure for examination of the
environmental impacts of development project requires a
committee of experts in different aspects of environment, many of
them drawn from Departments of the University and
Government. Examination of projects would not only improve
institutional linkages but also expose and train persons in
environmental aspects of projects and the precautions that need to
be taken during construction and operation.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure (please also refer to the fact
sheet): No additional information.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues: See information
provided under STATUS.
3. Major Groups: No information available.
4. Finance: No information available.
5. Regional/International Cooperation: See information
provided under STATUS.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 9: PROTECTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE
The Montreal Protocol and its Amendments were ratified in
1996.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was
ratified in 1996.
Additional comments relevant to this chapter
Specifications for air quality monitoring stations have been
prepared and are awaiting for approval. These stations will be
fixed at strategic sites to represent the impacts of the traffic
movement and industrial installations. This will help assess
the quality of air in the country.
A national report on Ozone Depleting Substances has been prepared.
The national consumption of these substances is
determined to be below 0.3 kg/ca/year and, thus Qatar is assessed
to be an "Article Five country".
Please refer also to the information provided under chapter
41.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 10: INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF LAND RESOURCES
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: See information provided under
Chapter 7.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 11: COMBATING DEFORESTATION
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: No information available.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 12: MANAGING FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS: COMBATING DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT
The International Convention to Combat Desertification in
Countries Experiencing Drought and/or Desertification
Particularly in Africa has not been ratified.
Qatar has an area of 11,437 square kilometres and lies in the
middle of the Arabian Gulf in the dry desert zone. The
average annual rainfall is 75.2 mm and the humidity varies between
45 and 95 percent. The main structural elements
consist of sand dunes, Sabkhas, beach deposits and collovium
depression ("rawda"). The surface is mostly dolomitic
(limestone and marls) with some gypsum and anhydride beds in the
lower parts. The landscape appears as a flat eroded
land of low to moderate relief mainly ranging from 50 to 100 meters
above sea level. All land in Qatar is desert or semi-desert.
Irrigated agriculture
All agriculture in Qatar requires perennial or complementary
irrigation due to scanty rainfall. A land use scale for
cultivation has been prepared. Grade l is cultivable land, Grade 2
is fairly cultivable, Grade 3 is marginally cultivable land
until Grade 6 which is absolutely unsuitable.
Vegetative cover
The land is characterized by desert plant cover which can survive
for long periods of up to tens of years. The total
pastoral area is about 50,000 ha with a production of nearly 5,650
tons of dry material. These areas are largely rainfed.
The plant groupings can be distinguished as:
a) Coastal subkha
b) Coastal area plants that grow in saline land
c) Roda: Samr (acacia tortilis), sidr (ziziphus mummularia) and
awsaj (lycium showii)
d) Sand dunes group
Causes of desertification
Desertification factors in Qatar include the following:
Drop in ground water levels
The ground water reservoir has declined by 25 percent in the 12
years of a study period. In 1995, the total amount of
water extracted for irrigation purpose amounted to 221 MCM. Most of
the abstracted ground water is used on farms. A
decrease in the available water for irrigation leads to
deterioration and desertification of these farms.
Increasing salinity of ground water
Potable water is found at a depth ranging from 5 to 50 meters. The
source of ground water is the Dammam Formation.
The rate of abstraction is more than ten times the recharge. The
quality of water has declined by 5 percent annually. An
increase in the salinity is a result of sea water ingress and the
flow of added salts (fertilizer) from the irrigation water to
the ground water.
The salinity of the water in the southern parts of the country is
higher than in the northern part. This has been
successfully used in the irrigation of light textured soil.
Encroachment of sand on agricultural land
Sand dunes in Qatar cover about 1,500 square kilometres or about 13
percent of the area. Other sand formations cover
5 percent. The rate of movement of sand dunes in Qatar is about 8
km per year. Higher rates have been encountered in
drier areas depending on the direction of the wind and the slope of
the surface of the sand dunes. It has been estimated
that 21,000 ha of agricultural and pastoral land has been lost due
to wind desertification.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
Latest 199_ Land affected by
desertification (Km2)
Other data
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 13: MANAGING FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS: SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Not applicable.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 14: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Please refer to the information provided under Chapter 12.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 15: CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
The Convention on Biological Diversity was ratified in 1996.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has not been ratified.
Development of natural life and its conservation is a priority for
the State. However, illegal fishing and hunting coupled
with modern sporting weapons has a direct effect on the survival of
the biodiversity. It, therefore, becomes necessary to
create awareness amongst the citizens. This should be backed up
with enforceable legislation.
Achievements in the conservation of biodiversity
A national committee consisting of representatives from concerned
agencies was set up in the Environment Department.
Their mandate was to list out the items and an action plan for
implementation. The work pertaining to different aspects of
conservation is being carried out through different agencies.
Marine Environment
Surveys of aquatic ecosystems have been carried out. These include
the following:
Biodiversity in the areas of natural and planted mangroves
(avicennia morina) and sabkhas, 1996
Locations and range of pearl oysters in Qatari waters.
A preliminary study of the Arabian Gulf fish in the aftermath of
oil spillage during the Gulf War, 1990.
The state of fisheries in Qatar, 1980 to 1992
Relevant books by concerned agencies have been published:
Qatar University, "Common species of fish in Qatari waters",
1982
Department of Fisheries, "Qatar`s Fish", 1983
Qatar National Museum, "Qatar and the Sea", 1987
Some of the areas in which research is being carried out are as
follows:
Diversity of marine organisms in the environment of coral reefs in
Qatari waters and the effect of organic compounds
on these
The effect of ban on catching shrimps on the restoration of their
stocks
A biological study of king fish
Plant Environment
A laboratory has been set up in the Department of Agricultural and
Water Resources for the culture of plant tissues. The
following jobs have been done:
Reproduction of very high quality palm trees.
Conserving natural and indigenous trees.
Introducing species from places having a similar environment.
The results of the published research work cover
following:
Plant Environment in Qatar.
Medicinal and toxic plants in Qatar.
Agricultural development in Qatar.
Sabkha plants.
355 plant varieties and 106 types of fungi have been identified.
Research has been taken up on the following:
Grazing plants in Qatar.
Green cover in Haloul Island.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 16: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: No information available.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 17: PROTECTION OF THE OCEANS, ALL KINDS OF SEAS, INCLUDING ENCLOSED AND SEMI-ENCLOSED SEAS, AND COASTAL AREAS AND THE PROTECTION, RATIONAL USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR LIVING RESOURCES
The State of Qatar is made up of the main peninsula. It also has a
number of small islands. The coasts of the state,
including the islands, extend for more than 700 km (approximately
23 percent of the coasts of the Gulf). The coasts have
acute curves forming bays and capes such as Ras Laffan, Ras Rekn
and Ras Ashirij. The State's coasts includes a number
of environmentally sensitive areas, such as mangrove forests and
coastal coral reefs. These form a natural environment for
a number of living organisms which are a national natural
wealth.
Marine environment in the Arabian Gulf is considered to be of
special importance. It is an important source of food. In
addition, desalinated sea water is the main source (almost the sole
one) of drinking water in the country. Due to human
activities on land, it is a natural consequence that the marine
environment has been subjected to a number of cases of
pollution which has resulted in an environmental imbalance. This
has affected aquatic ecosystems. This is particularly true
because of the negative effect of unplanned development on
environment, in general, and marine environment, in
particular.
The coastal waters of Qatar are polluted from a number of sources.
These include untreated industrial effluent, garbage
from indiscriminate disposal by visitors to the benches and human
activities in port areas. Oil spills due to accidents in
exploration and transport is still the biggest source of pollution
of the coastal waters. The State has taken a multi-pronged
action in this regard. The steps include the following:
1. Integrated administration and sustainable development of coastal
areas.
2 Environmental monitoring of the marine environment.
3. Using marine resources at the upper seas and sustaining these
resources
4. Protecting the marine environment found in the State
5. The treatment of critical aspects in marine environment
administration including the effects of climate change
6. Strengthening coordination and cooperation on both regional and
international levels.
7. Promoting sustainable development of small islands.
Challenges
A large number of pollutants are discharged into the coastal waters
which is a source of drinking water. Some of the
pollutants discharged could have a tendency for bioconcentration,
while others could from toxic products due to the
reaction with other pollutants present in sea water. Discharge of
ballast and other wastes need to be prevented.
Enforcement of laws, both regional and local, needs to be backed
with a programme of environmental awareness and
education.
Future and long-term plans
1. Build a proper structure for monitoring the status of the marine
environment with an appropriate laboratory. It is
necessary to integrate the existing GIS in monitoring and modelling
studies.
2. A system of enforcement needs to be established. Deterrent fines
and punishment would have to be enforced on wilful
polluter of the marine environment.
3. Emergency preparedness to fight accidents needs to be
established. This would have a plan and a proper coordination
and training for the concerned personnel of the relevant
departments and agencies, particularly the Coast Guard.
4. Laws concerning ships with segregated ballast and facilities at
ports for accepting and treating wastes need to be
established and enforced.
5. Marine reserves need to be mapped and areas which are
ecologically sensitive need to be preserved. This would
require monitoring and support of properly equipped and trained
technical personnel.
6. A continuous education and awareness programme requires to be
carried out. While a lot is currently being done by
the Environment Department, it is necessary to network with other
departments and agencies which have the expertise
in the field. For instance, the Qatar National Museum can do
significant support work through its section on marine
environment. A long-term coordinated programme with identified
responsibilities is required.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: The UN Convention on the
Law of the Sea was signed in 1984.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 18: PROTECTION OF THE QUALITY AND SUPPLY OF FRESHWATER RESOURCES: APPLICATION OF INTEGRATED APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT AND USE OF WATER RESOURCES
Steps taken for water conservation and use.
Assessment of ground water reserves
All fresh groundwater in Qatar originates from local rainfall,
except for the confined, slightly brackish water near Abu
Samra which is believed to have its source to the west, in Saudi
Arabia.
The country's reserves of fresh groundwater are concentrated in the
northern part, where the fresh water body has the
form of a lens that floats on saline groundwater, that is
saturating a lower part of the Umm er-Radhuma formation.
Laterally, it is controlled by sea water intrusion in coastal
areas. Most of the water occurs in the Rus formation and in the
upper part of the Umm er-Radhuma formation. Fractures, vugs and
solution channels provide the principal means for
storage and groundwater movement in carbonate aquifer.
The lens in the central part of Northern Qatar is about 80 m thick
and diminishes towards seashore. The fresh salt water
interface was detected at 120 m depth. The lens has been heavily
overexploited.
Sources and reserves of potable water
Since 1954 the use of desalination has increased so that all
demands for domestic and industrial water supply for Doha and
its surroundings are met by desalinated water. Annual production
capacity for desalinated water is presently 126 MCM/yr.
Desalination plants account for approximately 96% of the total
municipal (excluding irrigation) potable water production.
Water to the rural areas in the Northern Qatar, as well as to
communities, is supplied by six well fields of 9,000 m3/d (2.5
MCM) of water annually.
The total available potable water storage in the country, in buffer
reservoirs, ground tanks, elevated tanks, and water
towers totals approximately 1.1 MCM. This represents approximately
three days' supply based on average national
consumption rate.
The total gross extraction of groundwater for irrigation purposes
increased from about 44 MCM in 1972 to about 220
MCM in 1995. The abstraction for public supply increased from 4 MCM
to 6 MCM in 1977 and then fell to 2.5 MCM at
1994 "which is met entirely from groundwater".
The existing policy is to supply potable water free of cost to the
prime residence of all Qatari nationals.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Qatar lies within a torrid
sub-region of the northern desert belt. It is characterized by
scanty rainfall
of 50 to 80 mm per annum. High temperature and high relative
humidity are common in summer. The rainfall is confined
the winter months, November to March. The rainfall, although
scanty, is the only source of natural water replenishment
while groundwater is the only natural source of water supply. There
is a severe water resources deficit.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 19: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF TOXIC CHEMICALS, INCLUDING PREVENTION OF ILLEGAL INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN TOXIC AND DANGEROUS PRODUCTS
Chemicals
The Department has streamlined much of the activities related to
import of chemicals. This includes the following:
An inter-departmental Committee has been set up by the Environment
Department for controlling imports and proper
management of hazardous chemicals, including radioactive
materials.
The Committee would look into fine specific areas. These are:
- Registration of imported chemicals
- Transportation
- Storage Handling
- Disposal
The requirements to be fulfilled by the importer have been derived
from the UN and the International Maritime
Organization.
Industries desirous of importing chemicals are required to fill
out an application form. Toxicity data, country of import
and storage facilities are some of the relevant information sought.
The form has been standardized and the information is
fed into the computer both industry-wise and also according to the
chemical name.
Detailed rules pertaining to transport of hazardous chemicals have
been framed.
Consumption patterns by the industry and its safety record are
checked before issuing a new import permit to the
industry.
Special regulations have been prepared for import and transport of
radioactive materials. They are more stringent than
those for hazardous chemicals. The rules cover transportation and
monitoring of radiation levels.
Pesticides
A policy on pesticides has been laid down. It includes the
following:
Highly toxic pesticides, which may affect animals and human, are
avoided.
Persistent pesticides are avoided.
Pesticides are applied under close supervision.
Pesticides are applied at the right time to counter the
disease.
The application during flowering and ripening are avoided.
Workers are given periodical medical examination which cover liver
function and cholesterol enzyme levels.
Future and long-term plans
1) The present system of examination of import licenses needs to be
further streamlined, particularly with respect to
repeated applications.
2) A system of industrial inspection of storage systems for
hazardous chemicals needs to be instituted. This would help in
cutting down the possibility of accidents.
3) Certain chemicals are highly toxic or confirmed carcinogens.
These need to be banned where safer substitutes are
available.
4) The consumption rates for chemicals, particularly pesticides,
need to be monitored closely so that excessive use is
avoided. Also quantities of expired pesticides need to be cut down
both from the wastage and disposal viewpoints.
5) Close links need to be forged with other GCC countries and
UN-agencies, such as IRPTC, for exchange of
information on use of toxic chemicals, precautions and their
disposal methods.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 20: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES, INCLUDING PREVENTION OF ILLEGAL INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN HAZARDOUS WASTES
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements
of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal has
been ratified in 1995.
Additional comments relevant to this chapter
Please refer to the information provided under chapter 19 and
chapter 41.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 21: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF SOLID WASTES AND SEWAGE-RELATED ISSUES
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: No information available.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 22: SAFE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Please refer to the information
provided under chapter 19.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTERS 23-32: MAJOR GROUPS
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women has not been ratified.
24.a Increasing the proportion of women decision makers.
No information available.
24.b assessing, reviewing, revising and implementing
curricula and other educational material with a view to promoting
dissemination of gender-relevant knowledge.
Curricula and educational material
No information available.
24.c and 24.d formulating and implementing policies,
guidelines, strategies and plans for achievement of equality in all
aspects of society including issuing a strategy by year 2000 to
eliminate obstacles to full participation of women in
sustainable development. Policies/strategies etc.
No information available.
24.e establishing mechanisms by 1995 to assess implementation
and impact of development and environment policies and
programmes on women
No information available.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do
not exceed this page):
No information available.
Ch. 24: GLOBAL ACTION FOR WOMEN TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND
EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT.
25.a establishing processes that promote dialogue between
the youth and government at all levels and mechanisms that
permit youth access to information and opportunity to present their
views on implementing A21.
No information available.
Describe their role in
the national process:
25.b reducing youth unemployment
No information available.
25.c ensuring that by year 2000 more than 50% of youth --
gender balanced -- have access to appropriate secondary
education or vocational training.
No information available.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do
not exceed this page):
No information available.
Ch. 25: CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT.
26.a establishing a process to empower indigenous people and
their communities -- through policies and legal instruments:
No information available.
26.b strengthening arrangements for active participation in
national policies
No information available.
26.c involving indigenous people in resource management
strategies and programmes at the national and local level.
No information available.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do
not exceed this page):
No information available.
Ch. 27: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS: PARTNERS FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
27.a developing mechanisms that allow NGOs to play their
partnership role responsibly and effectively.
27.b reviewing formal procedures and mechanisms to involve
NGOs in decision making and implementation.
27.c promoting and allowing NGOs to participate in the
conception, establishment and evaluation of official mechanisms
to review Agenda 21 implementation.
No information available.
27.d establishing a mutually productive dialogue by 1995 at
the national level between NGOs and governments.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not
exceed this page):
No information available.
Ch. 26: RECOGNIZING AND STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND THEIR
COMMUNITIES.
28.a encouraging local authorities to implement and monitor
programmes that aim to ensure participation of women and
youth in local decision making.
No information available.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do
not exceed this page):
No information available.
29.a full participation of workers in implementation and
evaluation of A21.
29.b (By year 2000, (a) promoting ratification of ILO
conventions; (b) establishing bipartite and tripartite mechanism on
safety, health and sustainable development; (c) increasing number
of environmental collective agreements; (d) reducing
occupational accidents and injuries; (e) increasing workers'
education and training efforts.
No information available.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do
not exceed this page):
No information available.
Ch. 28: LOCAL AUTHORITIES' INITIATIVES IN SUPPORT OF
AGENDA 21. Ch. 29: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF WORKERS AND
THEIR TRADE UNIONS.
30.a increasing the efficiency of resource use, including
reuse, recycling, and reduction of waste per unit of economic
output.
30.b encouraging the concept of stewardship in management
and use of natural resources by entrepreneurs.
List any actions taken in this area:
30.c increasing number of enterprises that subscribe to and
implement sustainable development policies.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do
not exceed this page):
Please refer to the information provided under Chapter 41:
Combating Industrial Pollution, especially to the section on
major groups.
30: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF BUSINESS
AND INDUSTRY.
31.a improving exchange of knowledge and concerns between
s&t community and the general public.
Scientific community has already established ways in which to
address the general public and deal with
sustainable development.
No information available.
31.b developing, improving and promoting international
acceptance of codes of practice and guidelines related to science
and technology and its role in reconciling environment and
development.
Brief comments on this chapter not already described in chapter 35
(maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed
this page):
No information available.
32.a promoting and encouraging sustainable farming practices
and technologies.
32.b developing a policy framework that provides incentives
and motivation among farmers for sustainable and efficient
farming practices.
32.c enhancing participation of organizations of farmers in
design and implementation of sustainable development policies.
No information available.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do
not exceed this page):
No information available.
Ch. 31: SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL
COMMUNITY. Ch. 32: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF
FARMERS.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 33: FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND MECHANISMS
Agenda 21, was agreed by the international community in Rio during
UNCED in 1992. It was committed that developed
countries would provide "new and additional financial resources" to
help developing countries to achieve sustainable
development. This was based on a political commitment by Heads of
States and thus carries a moral obligation of the
countries to achieve sustainable development.
CHANGES IN NATIONAL BUDGET TO ADDRESS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT:
No information available.
NEW ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS:
No information available.
ELIMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY SUBSIDIES:
No information available.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
ODA funding provided or received (Total US$million)
Net flow of external capital from all sources as % of GDP
Other data
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 34: TRANSFER OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND TECHNOLOGY, COOPERATION AND CAPACITY-BUILDING
Qatar is at the cross-roads of economic development. Rational
development and use of natural resources is the basis for
any sustainable development programme. This is applicable for
industrial processes and as well as in the daily
consumption patterns and habits of citizens. Developed countries
have already gone through the learning curve and their
focus is on conservation. Primarily, the technology which would be
used should be state of the art, low or no waste
technology (LNWT). Large automobiles of the fifties and sixties
have been replaced by highly efficient vehicles with high
compression engines. The current trend is the development of
automobiles on energy sources which are both renewable
and also less polluting.
The requirements of Qatar in the future, therefore, are evident:
selection of appropriate technology and conservation of
natural resources. The implementation of environmental policies
have to be done one step at a time in an economy in
transition. The objective would be to have a good environment using
the latest trends in science and technology. Just as
the economic benefits are distributed between the State, local
bodies, industry and individuals, so must the objective of
sustainable development be met through the joint effort of all the
entities. The formulation of policies is a function of the
State and these have to be such as to promote economic and social
development in order to hand down a clean
environment to future generations.
STATUS REPORT ON LINKS BETWEEN NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION
NETWORKS/SYSTEMS:
MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION:
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 35: SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
1. Industry
provide advisory services to industrial organizations
offer expertise for feasibility studies on industrial projects
2. Agricultural and Animal Resources Research into:
the best irrigation methods
the best fertilization methods
production of high-yield crops
the constituents of desert and marine plants animal
animal husbandry and its economics
provide agricultural services
carry out other agricultural projects
3. Natural Resources and Ecology
carry out appropriate research
draw up policy to enable the best use to be made of the
resources
preserve the ecology from pollution
4. Water
research into Qatar's water table and into new methods of
desalination
research into the most economical ways of using water
5. Energy Resources
research into the most economic ways of using water
6. Remote Sensing
cooperate with other scientific centers working in the field
carry out all possible research which is of interest to the
different organizations of the State of Qatar
take all necessary measures to yield results in possible
applications
7. Databank
Set up a data bank for the collection and storage of knowledge
Make statistics available to authorities
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
The Scientific and Applied Research Center (SARC) was
set up within the University by Emiri Decree in 1980. The main
purpose of the Center is for the support of scientific research and
application of modern technology in the different sectors
of development and economics, to keep abreast of international
scientific advances. The objectives of the Center are basic
research and the development of applied experiences in scientific,
industrial and agricultural fields. In particular, it is to
concentrate on industries already in operation in the State of
Qatar and/or new industries needed for development, as well
as the States natural, agricultural and animal resources. SARC is
to share in the transfer of technology and its applications
to Qatar and to cooperate, in particular with organizations with a
mutual interest in the following fields:
Year
Number of scientists, engineers and technicians
engaged in research and experimental
development
#
19--
Total expenditure for research and experimental
development (US$eq.)
$
19--
Other data
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 36: PROMOTING EDUCATION, PUBLIC AWARENESS AND TRAINING
Increasing public awareness
There are three routes in this mission for reaching out to the
people.
Using the resources of the Environment Department.
Cross-linking with other organizations concerned with Environment,
particularly Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs)
Networking with countries in common projects at the regional or
international level.
Programmes taken up by Department:
There are a number of such programmes conducted annually. Each of
these targets a particular segment of society. The
main focus, however are the school-going children.
Awareness programmes for children:
Each year a number of competitions, on environmental topics, are
organized. They include
Painting
Photography
Essay
A number of exhibitions on environmental topics are held each year
which include paintings, photographs and posters
prepared by children. During these exhibitions, brochures and
bulletins are distributed to the visitors.
Public Awareness Programmes
The following types of campaigns are held regularly:
Cleaning important streets of empty cans and bottles.
Protecting marine birds and turtles.
Cleaning beaches of litter using help of NGOs, such as the Qatari
Boys Scouts.
Wide publicity is given to these campaigns in order to encourage
participation.
Films have also been prepared for showing to schools or on the
local TV channel. The topics covered are either cartoons
on civic responsibilities like keeping parks and beaches clean or
on subjects of environmental relevance to Qatar, such as,
marine life, coral reefs, pollution and ozone depletion.
Programmes coordinated with other agencies
The Ministry of Education and Culture is a focal point which
cooperates with the Environment Department for
spreading environmental awareness amongst school children. The
programmes consist of the following:
Conducting lectures for students
Forming groups for the protection of the school environment
Arranging competitions, such as plays, posters and bulletins.
Running campaigns to clean beaches.
Inclusion of environmental courses in the school curricula.
The local press helps in covering programmes related to the
environment. Each month the local paper, "Al Sharq"
carries a page dedicated to topical environmental issues with
readers' contributions.
Radio Qatar transmits a 30-minute weekly programme giving
environmental messages and news. It also conducts
quizzes on important occasions, such as World Environment Day.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Industrialization of Qatar has
improved its standard of living. Import of technology has brought
about rapid changes in lifestyles. While this has made consumer
goods easily available, this has been at the cost to the
environment, particularly the attendant wastages, both at the
manufacturers and also at the consumers end. These include
excessive consumption of plastics, metals, glass, paper and other
items which are littered and ultimately find their way to
the dumpsites. Awareness to these problems can certainly improve
the situation. Special emphasis needs to be given in
building awareness in children: the decision- makers of
tomorrow.
Qatar Television coordinates with the Environment Department for
broadcasting important functions These include the
following:
Environmental events, such as exhibitions
Beach cleaning campaigns.
Afforestation and tree plantations.
Inviting distinguished persons for live discussions on
environmental issues.
Qatar TV had run 72 episodes of a programme on environmental issues
from 1982 to 1989. It regularly broadcasts skits,
cartoons and messages to increase awareness, in both young and
old.
The Council of Arab Ministries responsible for Environment (CAMRE)
have established a Steering Committee for raising
environmental awareness of the people in the Arab countries. The
mandate covers the following:
Studying attitudes of primary and secondary school pupils towards
environment.
Organizing meetings on environmental education, awareness and
information in Arab countries.
Furnishing all member countries of the Arab League with
publications and studies issued by the different countries.
Conducting training sessions and media gathering and organizing
work groups for raising awareness.
Holding annual meetings to follow up on the year's
achievements.
Celebrating the Arab Environment Day on 14th October of every
year.
The Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine
Environment (Kuwait):
The Organization located in Kuwait performs the following awareness
raising activities in the field of the environment:
Supervising the execution of decisions and recommendations issued
by the Council of Ministry (CAMRE).
Holding regional meetings with the aim of developing environmental
awareness.
Presenting technical advice and financial assistance to the member
states to enable them to implement environmental
awareness programmes.
Preparing and distributing the organization's bulletin, brochures,
publications, audio-visual aids, reports and documents
related to environmental awareness.
Conducting specialized seminars and practical training courses in
the field of pollution control.
The organization also plans contests on children's paintings on
the theme of environment protection for the member
states.
Preparing and organizing celebrations of the Gulf Environment Day
which falls on the 24th of April.
The Center for the Affairs of Man and the Environment:
This Center, located in Riyadh, coordinates the meetings of the
respective ministerial committees to bring into focus the
situation in each member state in the GCC countries with respect to
regional and international issues.
Reorientation of education towards sustainable
development
The Education Ministry is responsible for all educational
activities in Qatar at the primary, preparatory, secondary and
tertiary levels including general, technical and religious and
institutional needs. The Ministry provide facilities for
literacy, adult education, cultural relations, skills training,
career development, in-service teacher training. It is also
responsible for public libraries, school health and school
accommodation.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT (cont'd):
School Education
There has been a substantial growth in the affairs of this
Ministry. In 1982 there were only 141 schools. A 10-year plan
was introduced in 1982 for the construction of 156 schools, of
these 99 were to be built in the suburbs and desert villages.
The objective is to develop the State uniformly by spreading its
resources. This would ultimately help in providing
educational and other facilities throughout the State, thereby
preventing urban growth. This is important for sustainable
development in the context of environmental management and social
upliftment. An important function within the
Education Ministry is the Department of Training and Career
Development. Its function is to provide training to
ministerial officials, clerical and technical staff in Government
and Industry. It is also responsible for providing in-service
training and vocational guidance.
University System
The center for higher education is the Qatar University. This was
established in 1973 and has regular courses for the
Bachelors programme in Humanities, Engineering and Science.
Presently there are three environment related basic
courses, namely, Environmental Chemistry, Pollution and General
Ecology. There is a requirement for a project in the
curricula for Marine Sciences. Students are encouraged to work on
one oriented to environmental management.
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani is the Supreme
President of the University. In the convocation address
in November, 1996 he emphasized "the necessity of concentrating on
scientific and applied specialization" and on "the
need for continuous education, which has come to take its place in
the programmes and concerns and concerns of
contemporary universities."
There is a need to establish a structure in the State for
institutionalizing human resources development. In the background
of manpower and financial constraints, the best way to do this
would be to strengthen, support and integrate the existing
facilities rather than build another institution. The field of
human resource development in the context of sustainable
development in Qatar needs to be examined at different levels of
age, education and specialization.
School Curriculum and Awareness
Initial environment education has undoubtedly to begin with
children in school.
It is important for the children to imbibe correct perspectives on
the need to protect flora and fauna, love for the
environment and principles of sustainable development. This would
also help in the all-round development of their
personalities. Also lessons which they learn in environmental
education are carried home to their parents. Simple
messages such as planting trees to prevent deforestation and
improving the microclimate are carried back to their homes
with great advantage.
Promoting training
Technical Training
The Training and Career Development Department of the Education
Ministry looks into the needs of the Government and
also the Industry with regard to supply and training of
personnel.
The Environment Department is in the process of setting performance
standards for existing and new industries. Pollution
control has already become a major focus area on the industries.
Allied areas such as water conservation and
environmental audit would require trained personnel to be available
in the industries. Technical training would,
therefore, be necessary for adopting these management techniques in
industry.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT (cont'd):
Latest 199- Adult literacy rate (%) Male
Adult literacy rate (%) Female
% of primary school children reaching grade 5 (1986-97)
Mean number of years of schooling
% of GNP spent on education
Females per 100 males in secondary school
Women per 100 men in the labour force
Other data
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 37: NATIONAL MECHANISMS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR CAPACITY-BUILDING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
National capacity building is also covered under sectoral chapters.
Donors: You may wish to describe here how Agenda 21 has influenced your ODA policies in this area.
Training of Technicians and Craftsmen
With the rapid industrialization of the State, there has arisen the
pressing need for trained craftsmen and technicians
capable of handling technical work in industry and in Government.
This need is being filled by the Training and Career
Development Department and Regional Training Center of the Ministry
of Education.
The functions of the Department are as follows:
To train professional and technical Qatari employees and other
employees appointed as supervisors sufficiently to entitle
them to replace foreign employees, in cooperation with the
Department of Administrative Affairs and the Departments to
which these employees relate.
To make trade and written tests for the candidates to replace
foreign employees or to fill vacancies in cooperation with
the Departments concerned.
To propose sending Qatari employees on short training courses to
qualify them and to raise their job standard, in
consultation with other Departments in which there is an urgent
need for such courses .
To appoint Qataris who are nominated for employment by the
authorities of Government.
The Department presently has 18 sections to cover the important
specializations, mainly, electronics, electrical &
mechanical engineering, chemical laboratory, survey and technical
drawing.
There are two concurrent schemes in this Department: one is for
freshers, to learn a technical trade and another for in-service
training. Presently there are about 250 persons in each of the two
categories. The courses for learning a trade lasts
for two year and a half is spent in the Department and the
remaining six months are in a commercial or industrial
establishment for on-the-job training. There are several modules
for in-service trainees for period up to 4 months.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT ON NATIONAL ENDOGENOUS CAPACITY
BUILDING:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 38: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
No additional information available.
Ch. 38: Brief summary of any particular UN System
response affecting this country/state:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 39: INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS AND MECHANISMS
No additional information available.
Ch. 39: International Legal Instruments are covered
under the relevant sectoral chapters. This is a listing of major
agreements/conventions (not already covered) entered into and
relevant to Agenda 21:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 40: INFORMATION FOR DECISION-MAKING
2.
International cooperation and trade
3.
Combating poverty
4.
Changing consumption patterns
5.
Demographic dynamics and sustainability
6.
Human health
7.
Human settlements
8.
Integrating E & D in decision-making
9.
Protection of the atmosphere
10.
Integrated planning and management of land resources
11.
Combating deforestation
12.
Combating desertification and drought
13.
Sustainable mountain development
14.
Sustainable agriculture and rural development
15.
Conservation of biological diversity
16.
Biotechnology
17.
Oceans, seas, coastal areas and their living resources
18.
Freshwater resources
19.
Toxic chemicals
20.
Hazardous wastes
21.
Solid wastes
22.
Radioactive wastes
24.
Women in sustainable development
25.
Children and youth
26.
Indigenous people
27.
Non-governmental organizations
28.
Local authorities
29.
Workers and trade unions
30.
Business and industry
31.
Scientific and technological community
32.
Farmers
33.
Financial resources and mechanisms
34.
Technology, cooperation and capacity-building
35.
Science for sustainable development
36.
Education, public awareness and training
37.
International cooperation for capacity-building
38.
International institutional arrangements
39.
International legal instruments
40.
Information for decision-making
No information available.
Latest
199-
Number of telephones in use per 100 inhabitants
Other data
CHAPTER 41: COMBATING INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION
Steps taken towards combating industrial pollution
Environment Department's Activities: It has been recognized
that combating industrial pollution requires the establishment
of a government institution to spearhead, coordinate and implement
the government policies as regards to environmental
protection from the ills of industrial pollution. To discharge that
responsibility,1994 saw the creation of the Environment
Department within the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and
Agriculture. The main functions of the Department have been
stipulated in Law 20 of 1993. Among the duties and the mandated
functions of the Department are the following:
Develop and implement plans to protect the environment.
Establish principles for determining impacts on the environment.
Monitor and document pollution episodes.
Develop and set up emergency response plans.
Implement measures to mitigate pollution impacts.
Conduct studies on the effects of pollutants and ways of minimizing
these impacts.
Evaluate and approve (or withhold approval) of environmental impact
assessment studies conducted in support of
government or private projects.
Submit quarterly reports to the Environment Protection
Committee.
Provide technical staff trained in the fields of environmental
monitoring and pollution prevention.
Enforce environmental laws, standards and criteria.
Collect data on the state of the environment.
Supervise and control the import, transport, disposal and storage
of dangerous chemicals. Implement environmental public
awareness programs.
To discharge the above duties the Department has been involved in
many programs. The following is a summary of the
Environment Department's activities:
1. A Geographic Information System database of the local industries
has been created. The database features the pollution
point sources and associated pollution louds.
2. Specifications for air quality monitoring stations have been
prepared and are awaiting approval. These stations will be
fixed at strategic sites to represent the impacts of the traffic
movement and industrial installations. This will help assess
the quality of air in the country.
3. An environmental protection legislation is in circulation and
may be promulgated in the near future.
4. A survey of the marine environment for heavy metals and
hydrocarbons at selected sites in the coastal areas is being
carried out by the Department in collaboration with the Marine
Science Department of the University of Qatar.
5. A national report on Ozone Depleting Substances has been
prepared. The national consumption of these substances is
determined to be below 0.3 kg/ca/year and, thus Qatar is assessed
to be an "Article Five country".
6. Environmental impact assessment procedures are being set and
this will be succeeded by a ministerial decree to be
effective and applicable to all concerned projects .
7. A waste management legislation for the transboundary movement of
hazardous wastes has been prepared. This is
required by the Basel Convention which Qatar has ratified.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: The availability of raw
materials, a cheap labor force, and an increased demand for oil/gas
derived
products have led to the diversification of the industrial sector
in the 1970's. These years saw the establishment of
petrochemical, fertilizer, iron & steel, cement and gas
liquefaction plants. Although it was obvious at that time that
these
industries may result in the generation of water and air
pollutants, solid and hazardous wastes, their environmental impacts
were not fully considered . The philosophy was one of producing
more products with lesser concern to pollution. The
steps taken to implement the commitments for sustainable
development made in the Earth Summit, 1992 and the future
plans for achieving a cleaner industrial production are
discussed.
Copyright © United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Comments and suggestions: esa@un.org
1 November 1997