Doha, December 11 / QNA / Participants in the session "Enhancing Sustainability and Improving Governance in Fragile States," held during the second day of the Doha Forum 2023, emphasized the importance of managing resources and available capabilities in less-developed countries in an effective and prudent manner. This ensures overcoming various challenges, with a focus on issues such as energy, electricity, and climate change.

During the session, facilitated by Dr. John B. Alterman, the Senior Vice President of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, participants, including Dr. Nasser Yassin, the Lebanese Minister of Environment, and Mr. Rafat Al-Akhalie, the former Yemeni Minister of Youth and Sports, and Dr. Balgis Osman Elasha, the Senior Climate Change and Green Growth Specialist at the African Development Bank, called for building the capacities of fragile countries to secure their energy needs. They also advocated for supporting and financing clean and renewable projects in these countries.

Participants discussed the significant issues related to electricity generation in their countries, along with the challenges and problems accompanying them, leading to the inability of some to meet the needs of their citizens due to political instability, conflicts, wars, and the lack of studies and sufficient funding for energy production sources.

The participants urged the search for innovative solutions to meet their countries' electricity needs and limit the depletion of natural resources. They emphasized the importance of involving the private sector in adopting these solutions to secure the necessary funding for their implementation on the ground. They stressed the need to build institutional and individual capacities to confront energy and climate change challenges.

They highlighted the importance of establishing national funds to ensure private sector investments in the electricity sector and to encourage the implementation of joint regional projects to contribute to reducing the cost of energy production.

Participants proposed expanding the adoption of decentralized policies for energy generation and securing it. They encouraged individual experiments and their local dissemination, benefiting small local communities in meeting their electricity needs.

In this context, Dr. Nasser Yassin highlighted the success of Lebanese local communities in overcoming and combating fires, reducing their rates significantly in recent years. However, Israeli aggression and continuous shelling of southern areas contributed to the widening circle of fires. He affirmed that climate change is at the core of Lebanon's crises, including political and economic crises. Urgent intervention is needed to address the situation, aggravated by rising temperatures.

He pointed out the success of the agricultural sector in Lebanon in using solar energy to operate irrigation pumps, reducing losses of about half a billion dollars due to power outages and energy shortages resulting from consecutive crises. He emphasized the importance of taking action and establishing standards and procedures that encourage economic recovery while considering environmental aspects to prevent the exacerbation of these crises in the future through the efficient use of available resources, private sector involvement, and the search for innovative solutions.

The Lebanese Minister of Environment stressed the importance of green economic recovery, emphasizing its urgent necessity for energy sustainability. He highlighted the need for fragile countries to have strong institutions, requiring a reconsideration of the mechanism for managing their public affairs and the implementation of national and local measures to address climate change and other issues.

Mr. Rafat Al-Akhalie spoke about the role of crises and wars in weakening countries' ability to generate energy and electricity, especially in fragile states. Yemen is a prime example, where conflict has driven individuals to seek alternative sources of electricity, leading to the country's pioneering use of solar energy in the Arab region.

He added, "If we want to build an effective system, we must seriously consider sustainability," praising the success of some farmers in continuing their agricultural activities by relying on solar-powered generators in rural areas. This contributed to the resumption of services and ensured continuity.