Hazardous Materials Management Project Launched

Doha, Qatar: The Chemical Safety Symposium kicked off in Doha yesterday under the theme“Towards the Effective and Safe Management of Chemicals”.

The two-day event was attended by Minister of Environment and Climate Change H E Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Minister of Transport H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Minister of Communications and Information Technology H E Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change H E Eng. Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Mahmoud, alongside representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The Symposium focused on key challenges related to chemical management across a variety of sectors, in addition to sharing expertise and reinforcing cooperation among national and international entities in surveillance, inspection, and chemical safety legislation.

Throughout the symposium, the launch of the first phase of the Hazardous Materials Management System in Qatar was announced. The initiative, a collaboration between the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) and MCIT, aims to bolster the oversight of hazardous materials and waste and streamline procedures for the relevant authorities.

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In his opening remarks, Minister of Environment and Climate Change H E Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, underscored Qatar's commitment to strengthening the safe and effective management of chemicals. He stressed that chemical safety represents one of the foremost national priorities, directly linked to public health protection and environmental conservation.

Qatar seeks to be an effective partner in international agreements on chemical safety and hazardous materials management, as addressing environmental challenges and risks associated with the growing use of chemicals in industrial, agricultural, and consumer sectors requires a holistic system to ensure safe and sustainable management, His Excellency underlined.

He added that the ministry has taken critical steps in this field, including operating online systems to manage and monitor chemical licenses and advancing electronic inspection systems for depots and hazardous waste.

The ministry has also forged cooperation with the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council to develop devices that detect hazardous materials at the nation's ports of entry, in coordination with the General Authority of Customs and the Ministry of Public Health, to ensure effective oversight of chemicals, Al Subaie highlighted.

Al Subaie stressed that success in chemical safety cannot be achieved through individual efforts alone but requires integrated roles and effective partnerships, both domestically and internationally, to address the challenges in this critical field.

He asserted that achieving chemical safety and environmental sustainability is a shared responsibility that demands persistent investment in capacity-building and reinforced cooperation at both the national and international levels.

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