Under the patronage of H.E. The Minister of Environment Mr. Mohamad Al Mashnouk, and with the support of the MoE, ESCWA, and UNDP, IPT Energy Center (IPTEC) organized the Closing Session of the "National Campaign for Air Pollution Reduction in Lebanon Through Efficient Energy Use in Land Transportation" on September 23, 2016 at Le Royal Hotel-Dbayeh as part of IBEF 2016.
The session featured the distribution of the reports and studies executed throughout the campaign by all partners, with the presence of the supporter of the campaign the former Minister of Environment Mr. Nazem El Khoury, the UNDP Country Director Mr. Luca Renda, Mrs. Radia Sedawi representing the Director of Sustainable Development and Productivity at ESCWA Mrs. Roula Majdalani, President of IPTEC Dr. Toni Issa, Mr. Ghassan Sayah representing Minister Al Mashnouk, and the Manager at the UNDP Climate Change Office at the Ministry of Environment Mrs. Lea Kai Abou Jaoudeh.
In his speech, Dr. Issa confirmed that the campaign has reached its goals which are documented in the complete report about the "National Campaign for Air Pollution Reduction in Lebanon through Efficient Energy Use in Land Transportation " prepared and distributed by IPTEC. Dr. Issa assured that air pollution remains one of the main focus of IPTEC. The Center is currently in process of preparing projects and activities aiming to complement the realized results of the National Campaign.
Mrs. Sidawi the Chief of Energy Section & Sustainable Development Policies Division at ESCWA, affirmed that the Land Transportation sector plays a pivotal role in achieving the promising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the COP21 Paris agreement about decreasing CO2 emissions and climate change and shifting to new methods that emit less carbon emissions into the air.
Mr. Renda highlighted the importance of UNDP-IPTEC partnership, especially that the National Campaign was able to sensitize both the public and the private sectors to work together towards sustainable transportation in an attempt to combat climate change and therefore reduce air pollution.
At the end of the session, moderator Radia Sidawi announced the distribution of the following Reports & Studies:
At last, Dr. Issa handed appreciation awards to Mr. Luca Renda, Minsiter Nazem El Khoury, Mr. Ghassan Sayah, and Mrs. Radia Sidawi to thank the UNDP, Ministry of Environment, and the ESCWA for their support to the campaign.
It is worth noting that the "National Campaign for Air Pollution Reduction in Lebanon through Efficient Energy Use in Land Transportation" was launched by IPTEC in 2012 in an unprecedented initiative from the private sector in Lebanon, and with the support of the ESCWA, UNDP, and the Ministry of Environment. It included many workshops, conferences, seminars, and activities around the reality and proposed solutions of air pollution reduction from land transportation.
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