Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II on Monday delivered a speech at the Middle East Green Initiative summit, held by Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
 
The summit was launched by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, with the attendance of a number of regional and international leaders and representatives of governments and international organisations.
 
Following is the full text of Crown Prince Al Hussein’s speech:
 
“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
 
Grace be to God, and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad.
 
Your Highnesses, Excellencies,
 
Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
 
Allow me first to thank the Arab Republic of Egypt and His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for hosting and organising the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27. Our thanks also to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for launching the Middle East Green Initiative.
 
Jordan has participated in the various technical meetings held within this initiative, out of our belief in their importance and their alignment with our national plans and strategies aimed at increasing vegetation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, mitigating the impact of climate change, and countering desertification as well as land degradation.
 
Despite the challenges facing Jordan due to scarce water resources, which have been exacerbated as a result of receiving multiple waves of refugees over the past decade, we have not neglected the importance of protecting the environment in our national plans and strategies. Green economy and climate action are integral to the growth engines launched by Jordan recently within the Economic Modernisation Vision for the next 10 years, which we seek to implement through effective partnerships between public and private sectors, domestically, regionally, and internationally, with the participation of youth and women.
 
Today, we hope to see progress in implementing this important initiative, which we believe will be the catalyst for adopting policies and initiatives at the national and regional levels to counter the impact of climate change.
 
In conclusion, we must work together to set innovative policies, programmes, and solutions that guarantee a green and sustainable future for current and future generations.
 
Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.”
 
The Middle East Green Initiative seeks to develop a clearly defined roadmap to face climate change in the region and mitigate its ramifications by reducing emissions and planting 50 billion trees in the Middle East.
 
Environment Minister Muawieh Radaideh also attended the summit on the Jordanian side.