Archives mensuelles: décembre 2019

Le Secrétaire général de l'Organisation de la coopération islamique (OCI), Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, adressé un message à la 11ème session de la Conférence islamique des ministres de la culture, tenue islamique pour l'Education, La science et la culture (ISESCO), en coordination avec le Secrétariat général de l'OCI, dans la capitale tunisienne 17-19 décembre 2019.

Prenant la parole au nom du Secrétaire général, Sous-Secrétaire général adjoint aux affaires humanitaires et culturelles Ambassadeur Tariq Bakheet, a déclaré que cette session vient à un moment opportun car il signale la reconnaissance des Etats membres de l'OCI de l'ampleur des défis auxquels fait face notre monde d'aujourd'hui, où la perspective culturelle met l'accent sur son rôle actif pour atteindre les objectifs communs de notre monde musulman dans la construction des valeurs ancrées de la diversité culturelle et les principes de modération, la tolérance et le rejet de l'extrémisme, haine, et l'intolérance.

Il a ajouté que l'aspect culturel joue un rôle majeur dans la coexistence culturelle entre les musulmans et les autres peuples, en particulier ceux de l'Ouest. En conclusion de son discours, le Secrétaire général a exprimé l'espoir que la conférence viendrait avec une vision claire qui intègre des mécanismes de mise en œuvre précis et un suivi continu, de sorte que les résolutions de la 11ème session seraient mis en pratique, pour améliorer la communication culturelle, et relever les défis qui se profilent pour le monde musulman.

La source: https://www.oic-oci.org/topic/?t_id=23023&t_ref=13867&lan=en

La Conférence islamique des ministres de la Santé a ouvert sa septième session de trois jours à Abu Dhabi, Emirats Arabes Unis, sur 15-17 décembre 2019.

La conférence a débuté par une réunion des hauts fonctionnaires préparatoires pour discuter d'un ensemble de rapports, des projets de résolution, et les documents soumis à la réunion ministérielle sur Décembre 16.

L'Organisation de la coopération islamique (OCI) Sous-Secrétaire général pour la science et la technologie, Ambassadeur Askar Musinov, a prononcé un discours de bienvenue et a salué les programmes et les réalisations dans le secteur de la santé dans les États membres de l'OCI, dans la période comprise entre la précédente (Jeddah, 5-7 décembre 2017) et les sessions en cours.

Ambassadeur Musinov a également rendu hommage au Comité permanent de la coopération scientifique et technologique (COMSTECH), la Banque islamique de développement (IsDB), l'Académie islamique internationale du Fiqh (IIFA) et islamique pour l'éducation, La science et la culture (ISESCO) pour leur contribution au domaine.

Les principaux sujets à l'ordre du jour de la conférence comprennent le Programme de santé stratégique d'action de l'OCI 2014-2023 et le renforcement de la coopération sanitaire entre les Etats membres.

Les discussions porteront également sur les modes de vie sains, la prévention, et le contrôle des maladies transmissibles et non transmissibles, urgences sanitaires et des catastrophes, en plus de la santé maternelle et infantile et la nutrition, l'autonomie en médecine et la fourniture de vaccins et de la production, et technologies médicales avancées.

La source: https://www.oic-oci.org/topic/?t_id=23005&t_ref=13861&lan=en

Le Secrétaire général de l'Organisation de la coopération islamique (OCI), Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, has stressed that the First Ministerial Conference for Social Development in Istanbul, République de Turquie, sur 9 décembre, 2019, is an occasion to review the challenges facing the Islamic world in social areas, especially those related to empowering the institution of marriage and the family and preserving their values.

In a statement at the opening session of the conference, delivered on his behalf by Amb. Tariq Bakhiet, Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian, Culture and Social Affairs, Al-Othaimeen noted that the conference sheds light on issues of social development in Member States so as to ensure social equality and prosperity for all, especially by enabling the institution of marriage and the family and to ensure the well-being of the child, and social security for the elderly and people with disabilities.

“I am confident that our conference will constitute a qualitative transition for our countries and societies in the direction of achieving the welfare of our peoples and achieving sustainable development,” said Al-Othaimeen.

The Secretary General conveyed his appreciation to the Organization’s Specialized and Sffiliated Organs and Institutions for their tremendous efforts and contributions in the field of social development in the OIC Member States.

The 1st Ministerial Conference on Social Development examines matters that were considered by the sectorial ministerial conferences on the family, child welfare, as well as on wellbeing and social security for the elderly and special need persons.

La source: https://www.oic-oci.org/topic/?t_id=22985&t_ref=13853&lan=en  

Marine plastic pollution, commonly referred to as marine plastic litter, is a major global environmental problem. Marine plastic litter harms marine species through ingestion and entanglement, violates the integrity of ecosystems, inhibits growth of marine plants, accumulates and transports pathogens that may cause disease and injuries to marine animals, plants and humans, and partly ends up in the food chain. en outre, it causes economic losses due to reduced fishery yields, declining amenity for tourism, and damage to shipping and related infrastructure.

Some of the plastic in the oceans comes from fisheries, aquaculture, nautical activities and illegal dumping in the sea, but around 80% of the total comes from the land. Land-based plastic pollution is caused primarily by inappropriate management of waste of plastic packaging and short-lived products originating from various consumer products in numerous sectors. These consist for example of plastic bags; single and multilayer food and beverage containers; cleaning and personal care product containers; food wrapping and trays; plastic foil; single-use cutlery; cups; synthetic textiles and clothing; plastic footwear; and so on. Wind and rain carry this litter into streams and rivers, and then into the oceans.

Nowhere to throw it

Better management of plastic litter on land would clearly reduce the amount of plastic litter entering the oceans, but that doesn’t address the issue of what to do with the overwhelming amounts of plastic waste generated in the first place. There is nowhere to throw it all away.

One way to approach the challenge is by transitioning to a circular economy, where the crucial concept is the designing out of waste. The key to the success of the circular economy approach is to focus on the design stage, rather than trying to deal with waste at the end of the product’s life.

In the case of plastic, the idea is change practices and encourage innovation so that we use less plastic; design plastic products in ways so that they can be reused; develop the technologies allow more effective and efficient reprocessing of used plastic; and devise and use safer alternatives to traditional plastics.

Plastic packaging, synthetic textiles and clothing, and short-lived, fast-moving consumer and institutional products made of plastics contribute significantly to the generation of marine plastic litter. There is hardly any global, regional, national report or research study on marine plastic litter that does not point out the contribution of packaging, single-use or short-lived consumer products, personal care products containing microbeads, synthetic clothing and microfibers, and fishing gear lost at sea.

At the design stage

The rapid, flowing nature of plastic packaging and short-lived plastic consumer products which become waste needs to be addressed by the consumers of plastic packaging, namely industries such as manufacturers of food and beverage producers, shoes, textiles and garments, as well as the manufacturers of short-lived consumer products. This is best done at the design phase within the value chain, through collaboration with the plastic producers and the converters, the companies which manufacture plastic products, ranging from toothbrushes to building pipes, from fruit boxes to car interiors.

In the product design stage, the following might be considered: a) scrutinizing the necessity of packaging altogether, including of plastics, b) selection of renewable, bio-degradable and compostable materials and additives that are not toxic or that are less toxic than fossil-based plastics; c) designing for less material use in order to decrease waste; d) designing packaging and products that use a single or small number of polymers that are easy to separate during recycling.

Policy measures to incentivize circular economy practices in design could consist of supporting implementation of innovations in the re-design of existing products and the design of new products, and support for innovations and start-ups, in particular those related to new, biodegradable and compostable plastics.

The above was originally published in UNIDO’s Making It magazine and draws on a working paper, ‘Addressing the challenge of marine plastic litter using circular economy methods’, published by UNIDO in April 2019.

by Charles ARTHUR

La source: https://www.unido.org/stories/circular-economy-solution-marine-plastic-litter