The Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers will hold its eighth session on 2-3 October 2019 at the headquarters of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in Rabat, under the theme “the Role of Cultural and Religious Factors in the Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development”, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and the effective presidency of H.R.H Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection.

ISESCO supervises the organization of the Conference, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Conference will bring together environment ministers from OIC Member States and representatives of relevant international and regional organizations.

At the end of the closing session, the KSA Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World (Edition 2018-2019) will be presented to 17 candidates from 13 Islamic countries, in these five categories: “Best research in the field of environmental management”, “Best applications of environmental management in government bodies in Islamic countries, “Best applications of environmental management in the Public sector in Islamic countries”, “Best leading practices in the field of environmental management for public utility and private associations that can be replicated in the Islamic world”, and “Best environment-friendly Islamic city”.

The Conference agenda features the examination of a number of reports and draft documents relevant to the issues of the environment and sustainable development in the Islamic world. They include the Report of the Fifth Meeting of the Islamic Executive Bureau for the Environment; the Report on ISESCO’s Efforts in the Fields of the Environment and Sustainable Development between the Seventh and Eighth Sessions of Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers; the Progress Report on the Creation of the Islamic Academy for the Environment and Sustainable Development; the Report on the KSA Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World; the Report on the Celebration of the Environment-Friendly Islamic Capitals; and ISESCO’s Report on the Executive Action Plan for Natural Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management in Member States.

 As for the projects, the Conference will examine the establishment of a joint OIC Committee for Sustainable Development; the Draft Strategy for the Activation of the Role of Cultural and Religious Factors in Protecting the Environment and Achieving Sustainable Development in the Islamic World; and the Draft Guidance Document on Strengthening the Role of Youth and Civil Society in the Protection of the Environment and Achievement of Sustainable Development in the Islamic World.

The Conference will also witness the delivery of the statements and reports of heads of delegations, the election members of the Islamic Executive Bureau for the Environment and the fixing of the date and venue for the Ninth session.

The eighth session of the Conference is held seventeen years after the first session in 2002 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which laid the foundations for joint Islamic action in the field of the environment by adopting a founding document titled “Jeddah Commitments for Sustainable Development”.