The General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the World Bank, hosted in Jeddah on Monday a national workshop for participants to provide and explore opinions about preliminary results of a diagnostic analysis project of the Arabian Gulf basin, and a project to study the regional cost of environmental degradation.
It also identified and prioritized possible intervention procedures as part of the requirements of the environmental strategy preparation and action plan for the Arabian Gulf basin.
Chairman of the General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection, Dr. Khalil bin Muslih Al-Thaqafi, inaugurated the workshop amid participation by representatives of ministries, government bodies, scientific institutes, universities, the Saudi private sector, NGOs and regional governmental organizations.
The workshop was held as part of the framework of the Gulf Environmental Partnership and Action Program (GEPAP), a regional initiative aimed at promoting sustainable development in the Gulf and its water conduits. 
GEPAP comprises national activities in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, as well as a regional phase to be implemented in partnership with the GCC general secretariat.
The aim of the regional phase is to formulate an environmental strategy for the Gulf basin, prioritizing regional action to enable sustainable development and management of the region.
It also identifies “green” national and regional investments to achieve these objectives, as well as the regional cost of environmental degradation in order to identify the top coastal and marine issues.
The program is a cross-border diagnostic analysis of the Gulf that plays an active role in identification and quantification, and sets priorities for cross-border environmental issues.

Source : Arab News