"It's not the wind" on RFI - Ibrahim Ali el: "Giving back to the citizen's place in the environmental challenge" Transcript of the issue of January 4, 2010 http://www.rfi.fr/contenu/20091229-1-le-regard-ibrahim-el-ali-environnement Arnaud Jouve : So you're Lebanese, Founding President of the NGO Mawassem Khair , Harvest charity. You participated in defusing bombs over 4000 in southern Lebanon before you turn to environmental action. And since you are seen on all fronts of nature conservation in Lebanon. Whether to fight against the pollution of rivers or the sea, organize collective action to raise awareness and cleaning or protecting forests in Lebanon. Ibrahim el Ali, you have also recently created a new foundation Bluegreen.
Ibrahim Ali El : Yes indeed, I created a new foundation. But I would like to renew my vows Happy New Year to wish them to listeners that this year is the year the citizen and the people will be taken into account. The essential theme the environment is still living. If there is a word that symbolizes the environment, that's life. The ability to drink clean water, breathe fresh air, it belongs to everyone. We must give dimension to the citizen in the environment.
Arnaud Jouve : How did this passion, interest in these issues?
Ibrahim Ali El : Actually, I was introduced by my big brother Haidar El Ali in Senegal in the often accompanying. But when I arrived in Lebanon, I saw a land full of biodiversity in such a small space and this commitment was then amplified ... especially seeing that people were completely helpless in the face of environmental problems.
You introduced me by saying that I have cleared more than 4,000 bombs in Lebanon, but that's because I managed to mobilize citizens, municipalities, guides and mix it all with the capacity of UNIFIL to make mine. We put it all together and it has been cleared 4,000 bombs in 7 months.
And therein lies the secret to succeeding in the environment is contributing to the value of citizens.
Look in your program, how expert have they gone over this year? However, we realize it is as if the system was ossified. We all know it but does not contribute to the citizen and the capabilities of our experts. This is the real problem and therefore it is not doing.
Arnaud Jouve : You put up a new foundation Bluegreen. Tell us briefly what it is.
Ibrahim Ali El : Bluegreen ... It is about thirty members, all experts in environment which half comes from the countries of the southern shores of the Mediterranean and the other half comes from the North. So the idea I was to share the world views of the South with the expertise of highly skilled people, and to propose them. That's the gist of Bluegreen.
Arnaud Jouve : I propose, as is the game of the first part of our magazine, to return to the current international environment. To begin with, this message of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday urged to respect each other regardless of skin color, nationality, language and religion. And he reiterated a message released in early December to be read in every parish on January 1, which states: "If you want to cultivate peace, preserve what has been created. "The pope calls for" human ecology because there is a close link between respect for rights and the preservation of what he created. If man debased, it degrades the environment, "said Pope.
To avoid such a drift, Benedict XVI called for investing in education with the aim not only to provide technical and scientific concepts but also a broader ecological responsibility and depth based on respect for human rights and fundamental rights and duties. At the time of the Angelus, the pope returned to this subject saying that "we are all responsible for protecting environment "and he called for a change in attitudes at each local government.
Ibrahim El Ali, we received Friday a Buddhist teacher who finally said some similar things in other ways . This is also a central point of interfaith discussions ... and even for policies that agree to all these questions on the merits, but unfortunately, not in deeds as we saw in Copenhagen.
Ibrahim Ali El : I do not want to broach the subject in a religious aspect. But I just want to remind listeners that all religions, all spirituality - it was Noah who is the first example with his ark - all religions have advocated respect for the environment.
The Earth has been given us this land we have the duty to preserve ... if we are not able to preserve this little paradise that is in our hands. Can you imagine just 10 kms above our heads were no longer able to breathe, it gives you a little dimension to the value of the Earth. (It is surprising to note that the mountains do not go farther than man can breathe)
If you are not able to preserve this Earth, how can we have the right to enter Heaven ... if this small garden does not protect it, how do you want access the garden?
I do not want to discuss the concept of religion in this issue. What I would like to restore its importance is respect ... and it begins with the capacity for African farmers feed themselves, to live, feed her children. They will soon be 2 billion people in Africa. If now, this wealth is the earth, we can not share it, well, we share his disaster.
must give the African citizen's ability to implement its full development system. The secret is the citizen! It was clearly seen in Lebanon when we did this campaign to clean up the forest Bkassine with 80 children. We worked with these children, it was cleaned, trees have been replanted with pines. We put it on Facebook, on websites, it has promoted ... these same children will tell their parents. It is this mechanism that makes the citizen is an actor of his future.
Arnaud Jouve : It's now time to focus on environmental news from some of the world and like all Mondays, direction of Africa. And Africa, it is with Zéphyrin Kouadio.
Today, we invite you to Congo Brazzaville to see how it prepares children for the protection of gorillas and apes.
Zéphyrin Kouadio : Yes, a program launched by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to schoolchildren in Congo Brazzaville, where live nearly 800 gorillas. Animals that are threatened by poachers and people living around protected areas ... people who also hunted for food. To fight against this phenomenon, NGOs have taken the initiative to launch this outreach program whose goal is the long term because it is the children who are at the heart of the device.
Arnaud Jouve Ibrahim Ali el, education is the starting point.
Ibrahim Ali El
: yes, education is the starting point. But I just want to make a snap when you talk about children in Brazzaville after the workshops. Do not forget that there are child soldiers who are in the forest, alone and together at the same time, faced with these wild animals, and any fear. And it's a real problem that needs addressing.
Education is the basic fact. But most important is that all NGOs draw strength on citizens.
me give you an example. In Copenhagen, the UN failed to resolve the problem of the millennium goals. Before that, the goal was to eliminate hunger in the world in 2015, it is clear that gold is not feasible. So it is not they who will be able to resolve the problem of the environment. Who will be able to solve the environmental problem? It is the citizen!
And now that Internet networks are developed, it can allow NGOs to return to the citizen, not to look only to governments and funding. So, we must return to the citizens for their involvement. You imagine that there are NGOs that have more than 200 000 members, that is to say they are more important than the first French party. So these people by mobilizing their members are capable of producing change. That's the solution, there is no other.
Arnaud Jouve : We have seen elsewhere in the Convention on Climate Change ... pressure of all these organizations, civil society that has exerted constant pressure on the Convention.
Ibrahim Ali El : But here it is as if the pressure of NGOs in Copenhagen had the complicity of governments. So there is something that has been accepted. But the reality is that we must return to the people.
If with all our networks, we are 1 million people and we decided not to buy a product at the supermarket, the industrial manufacture certainly do more. This is not me who said it. Coluche is who said that if we would buy more products, the manufacturer does not make more.
Now the Internet is there and there are powerful networks that are taking place, we must organize a power-cons so we can be allowed. Here in France, we speak of a right not to housing. Frankly, there is a non-enforceable drinking water, a non-opposable to live simply. And it will not prevent those 2 billion Africans to come to Europe if we never allow them to have a sustainable home.
Arnaud Jouve : Zéphyrin Kouadio, the Congolese authorities for their part took a series of measures to protect great apes.
Zéphyrin Kouadio : yes absolutely. Since November 2008 a law on the protection of wildlife and protected areas was adopted by the Government of Congo - Brazzaville. So anyone caught with a gorilla faces a prison sentence and up to 10 000 dollar fine. Posters on the markets, railway stations and airport road are a reminder to potential law violators. And in parallel, the authorities are developing a project to reintroduce the gorilla sanctuary Lesio Luna, located over 100 km from Brazzaville. And in this pool of 170 000 hectares, now live hundreds of gorillas. Finally, we must remember that the Congo - Brazzaville contains 10% of forests in the Congo Basin, the second green lung of the planet after the Amazon rainforest. These forests are the main habitat of gorillas and chimpanzees. It should be noted at the end that deforestation is also one of the threats that also puts pressure on these animals.
Arnaud Jouve : Ibrahim El Ali, forest protection, biodiversity they contain, these are issues that you speak.
Ibrahim Ali El
: A word about this story. This will never bans in Africa that will make things work. Why? Because the father that his children will die of hunger will kill and eat gorillas. Or take him hostage and demand to be white and have money to feed her children. And he is absolutely right. In
mechanisms have been established in Kyoto, we talk about the CDM, Clean Development Mechanism, which represents a solution. These involve large companies. I mentioned the citizen, but we also back with cities, communities and businesses that see ... Now with this very active citizens, opportunities for project development.
In these zones, it could be ecotourism. Local people could live and it would not need to eat gorilla, or kill, or imprison them.
Arnaud Jouve : One of the major solutions proposed in Copenhagen and, for now, has not been confirmed by a definitive agreement. Thank you Zéphyrin Kouadio. Ibrahim Ali El
So, what does the year 2010 in Lebanon, what are the shares on which you focus your work?
Ibrahim Ali El : I did a lot of actions in Lebanon, the awareness campaign through a campaign "Lebanon is not a dustbin." I do a lot of work with municipalities to the problem of waste physical treatment of wastewater. I return to work with municipalities and communities.
But this year I'll focus on the foundation I created, BlueGreen, with many experts on environment ... whether the southern shore of the Mediterranean, they are also the North Shore. We try to share projects together, to offer them, to assist municipalities to develop ... for example, encourage Dry farming, reforestation with olive trees all around the southern Mediterranean. This is the type of project we want to implement.
Arnaud Jouve : You will work on biodiversity is also the Year of Biodiversity. There is a significant loss in Lebanon.
Ibrahim Ali El : In Lebanon, as throughout the Mediterranean, was a phenomenon ... is the disappearance of bees which are the sentinel of the environment. And now, the Minister of Agriculture here is spirit to enable the implementation of the Cruiser while UNAF (National Union of French Apiculture) denounces long. And you know it is a catastrophe for the bees that are pollinators par excellence.
If this is the year of biodiversity, let's ban products that kill our bees anyway.
http://www.unaf-apiculture.info/ Arnaud Jouve : They say that in Lebanon there are more cedars today on the flags in the country. Lebanon was still badly damaged by war. Today, in what state is the country?
Ibrahim Ali El : I did a tour in Lebanon with a professor Alain Fridlender at the University of Marseille and is a great botanist.
Cedar is not the only tree of Lebanon. There are oak trees, was a multitude of trees.
Arnaud Jouve : It's a symbol.
Ibrahim Ali El : It's a symbol. We let the symbol for the high mountains and there is a reforestation campaign for all other species.
The Lebanese government is waging a campaign to reforest pine, but pine is the tree par excellence for biodiversity. Rather, the oak and it is very easy to reforest Lebanon.
Arnaud Jouve : Ibrahim Ali El thank you and see you soon on "Is not the Wind."
