Ban Ki-moon Lauds Qatar's Investments in Food Security

Doha, December 04 (QNA) - The United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday lauded Qatar's investments in food security, and praised the efforts of the GCC member countries to diversify energy sources and invest in renewable energies, especially solar energy. In a press conference held today on the sidelines of the high-level meetings of 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-18), Ban Ki-moon said he met ministers of the Arab Group and had with them in-depth discussions on how the group can be a key block cooperating with the United Nations, as well as with the international community to deal with the problem of climate change. He reiterated that Doha's hosting of climate talks is a clear proof the region is exerting efforts to cut emissions and mitigate climate events. "This conference, which is held for 1st time in the Gulf region and 2nd in the Arab World, shows that this region, including Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia which mostly depend on fossil fuel, are trying to diversify energy sources," he said. "They are investing smartly in energy sources, particularly the solar power energy," he added. The UN Chief said climate change issue has been top priority on his agenda since he took office in 2007 as it affected all people profoundly and increasingly. He called on all parties in the climate challenge to act together to reach needed results. He said the world still has a chance to mitigate climate events, however, he warned that any delay to achieve this target will be affecting the building of our future. He told reporters that while we expect adoption of Kyoto protocol, the way member states will present to the member states the roadmap of developing countries, and how long term financing will be met are most crucial issues that he will continue to focus on during his talks. He highlighted the role of the United States as an important player at climate change, and said he will meet with US administration representatives to discuss how US and European Union would work together to confront this issue. "The most important aspect of working together is providing for technological and financial support to many developing countries," he noted. Meanwhile, Ban affirmed the role of civil society, particularly media personnel who portray the climate change events to governments, who would in turn start taking actions on solving this issue. (QNA)