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ARAB STATES
KUWAIT
MDGs
Progress Towards Environmental Sustainability
KUWAIT
Kuwait City
Jahra
Salmiya
Hawalli
The MDG 7 target for the integration of sustainable development principles
into country policies and programmes was achieved in Kuwait in
1995 when the Environment Public Authority (EPA) was established. EPA
is responsible for the management and the protection of the environment.The
legislation establishing EPA has given it a fairly high profile requiring the supreme council of the authority
to be chaired by the First Deputy Prime Minister.Two of the four indicators identified for this MDG 7 target do not
seem to be relevant to Kuwait. According to international classification, given the geographical location of the country
as well as its size, the proportion of land area covered by forests is zero and land area protected to maintain biological diversity
is negligible as a proportion of the total area of the country.
Kuwait has experienced a systematic increase in GDP per unit of energy use from 355 oil kilograms in 1993 to 569 oil kilograms in
1998, which then decreased to 523 kilograms in 1999. The proportion of population using solid fuels has been zero for quite a long
time on account of the highly urbanized nature of the society as well as on account of the fact that the economy is oil-based implying
the availability of non-solid fuels to the population. It is important to note that Kuwait is located in a desert region, with no forests,
and hence there exists no significant implication for the use of solid fuels on the environment.
IRAQ
SAUDI ARABIA
IRAN
Persian
Gulf
QUICK FACTS
CURRENT PORTFOLIO BUDGET
Total UNDP and Co-Finance: $1,045,450
Total: $1,045,450
Kuwaitis enjoy a decent standard of living and consequently, the
proportion of population with sustainable access to an improved
water source has been 100% for a long period of time. Therefore,
MDG 7 target 10 has already been achieved. Regarding the proportion
of people with access to secure tenure, about 99.7% of Kuwaiti
households had access to secure tenure as of December 2002. Of
these, 86.9% were living in houses, 11.6% were living in modern flats
and about 1.2% were living in traditional houses and annexes. 1
SPOTLIGHT
Reinforcing Environmental Management Policies and Programmes 2
Kuwait’s rapid economic growth has both burdened the environment and left it lagging behind other areas of progress.
Outdated environmental laws and regulations, a lack of coordination between the various institutions dealing with environmental
issues, unrealistic and immeasurable targets, and an acute lack of public information on environmental issues have rendered
citizens and organisations indifferent to the benefits that a sustainable environmental policy provides.
In response to these challenges, Kuwait is currently refocusing its environmental efforts to concentrate on upstream strategy and
policy formulation and implementation in an effort to recover environmental sustainability. Initiated in 2003 and lasting until the
end of 2005, the Kuwait Sustainable Environmental Management Programme utilizes UNDP’s technical assistance and funding of
nearly US$ 630,000 from the Kuwaiti Government. The Ministry of Planning, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, the
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, and the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment
are providing additional logistical assistance. The project will strengthen the capacity of the Environmental Protection Authority
for effective management of environmental quality, establish an environmental database, and develop and test mechanisms for
improved environmental management. A first phase consists of launching a public awareness campaign and integrating coastal
zone management strategies, while a second phase includes the development of sectoral environmental strategies covering
atmosphere, fresh water zones, and environmental awareness, urbanisation, and petroleum.
The latest achievement of the project was the completion of a national environmental work plan, as well as the full collection of
STRATEGIES
data for sectoral environmental strategies for each focus area with the exception of the petroleum sector. As public awareness and
participation increases, citizens and organisations will become more active actors and stakeholders in the future environmental
strategy of the country.
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