APN | Zoom

4 November 2024

APN General Manager, Mariam Al Jaajaa, called for legal recognition of ecocide as a crime during a recorded speech at a workshop organized by the Kuwait Environment Protection Society. The event was part of its annual event marking the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

Al Jaajaa highlighted the worsening genocide and ecocide in Gaza over the past year, where starvation has transitioned from a pressure tactic to a tool of annihilation. She cited that the Israeli occupation dropped over 75,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, devastating 85% of its agricultural sector and cutting off 94% of its water supply. These actions have caused famine on a scale unseen since World War II.

In response, Al Jaajaa explained that APN launched the Revive Gaza’s Farmland project, which in just seven months restored 600 dunums of agricultural land, planted essential crops, repaired 17 plastic greenhouses, and rehabilitated 4 water wells—directly aiding hundreds of families in their steadfastness.

Al Jaajaa concluded by urging the recognition of ecocide as an international crime, holding perpetrators accountable, and supporting Palestinians in rebuilding their food systems to achieve food sovereignty. She also called for unifying Arab efforts to pressure the international community to end these violations immediately and to uphold people’s rights to their resources and environment.