site.btaPrince El Hassan bin Talal: Transnational Challenges Call for Transnational Response

Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Chairperson of Jordan's Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies (RIIFS), made a video message to the participants in Green Transition Forum 4.0 on Thursday, the second day of the three-day event that is taking place in Sofia. The forum is organized by Dir.bg and 3E News, and BTA is media partner.

Tackling climate change and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are inextricably intertwined: SDG 7 calls for affordable and clean energy, whereas SDG 17 is about partnerships for the goals, the Prince said.

He pointed out that deliberate disasters refer to the results of wars between states or civil wars, guerrilla warfare and insurgency. As examples, he cited Gaza, Sudan and Yemen which, together with Egypt and Syria, belong technically, geopolitically or geostrategically to the Mediterranean and are part of the comprehensive efforts to stabilize the Red Sea region from Anatolia all the way to Madagascar.

In the Prince's words, accidental disasters are industrial and nuclear catastrophes. In the context of the ongoing tensions among countries in the region, any nuclear warhead or, God forbid, biological or chemical warhead dropped on a neighbouring country may lead to a circular error probable triggering a destruction scenario.

The Jordanian royal cited the World Bank as estimating that the conflict in Syria resulted in cumulative losses of 226 billion between 2011 and 2016, which is equivalent to about a quadruple of Syria's GDP in 2010. 

Addressing EU Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Iliana Ivanova, the Prince said that the hope of the Red Sea region to complement the region of Europe is still a very clear indication of what can and must be done.

Referring to a conversation he had in 1985 with then US Senator and future Vice President Al Gore, when he presented the Red Sea ecosphere, His Royal Highness stressed inclusive human dignity and every person's right to life and livelihood. He pointed out that as current challenges are transnational, so the response to them should be transnational, too.

"His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, a statesman and peacemaker, has dedicated decades to promoting peace, dialogue, and humanitarian justice," https://greentransition.bg pointed out. "He champions the rights of all to live in peace and dignity, founding numerous organizations for cultural, religious, and scientific exchange, emphasizing diversity and mutual respect. His international influence includes co-chairing the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues, serving on the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, and chairing the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. HRH continues to advocate for refugee rights as an honorary co-chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council. Currently leading Jordan’s Zero Hunger Strategic Review, HRH works on developing comprehensive food security policies addressing various challenges."