Ramallah- “Jerusalem” dot com- Bank of Palestine , in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is preparing to launch the activities of the first conference under the slogan “Climate Change Risks and the Role of the Financial Sector in Reducing them by Adopting Environmentally Friendly Policies”. Its activities will start on the 8th of this December at the Abdul Mohsen Qattan Foundation in Ramallah, in the presence and participation of the Governor of the Monetary Authority, Dr. Firas Mohalim, Hashim Shawa, President of the Bank of Palestine Group, Heika Harmgart, Regional Director for the Middle East at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Dr. Nisreen Al-Tamimi, Head of the Environmental Quality Authority, in addition to a group of speakers, local and international experts and specialists in various economic and development sectors, including local, Arab and international financial and banking institutions, the most important of which are: the Central Bank of Morocco, the Commercial International Bank of Egypt, and the Turkish Bank.

The conference will discuss a number of issues related to the risks of climate change and the role of the financial sector in reducing them, as well as its impact on various aspects of economic, developmental, financial, agricultural and environmental life, and discuss the challenges and obstacles facing our society through the search for radical solutions to reduce the risks of climate change.

From his side, Bank of Palestine Group Chairman Hashem Shawa said that our organization of this conference aims primarily to discuss the effects of climate change on our entire lives, including the banking sector, which bases its operations on knowledge of environmental economics, prevention of environmental pollution, and resource depletion. Reducing environmental decline, and identifying the adverse impact of human activities on the climate and various sectors, to ensure economic growth and sustainable development.

Shawa stressed the important role of the banking sector in facing the repercussions of the impact of climate change on the economy in its various sectors, adding that the Bank of Palestine Group, since adopting the sustainability approach in all its banking and financial operations, has attached special importance to the issue of climate change, in addition to preserving and protecting the environment from By promoting the concept of green economy, in addition to sponsoring many different environmental projects and initiatives in partnership with many local and international institutions.

In turn, Heika Harmgart, Regional Director for the Middle East at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, said: “We are proud to launch the first conference of its kind on climate risk management for the Palestinian financial sector. We look forward to having insightful discussions on this topic with the participation of our local counterparts, including the Palestinian Monetary Authority.” And the Environmental Quality Authority.As well as through the speeches of the regional and international participants.This conference will be only the starting point, and we hope to work with our partner financial institutions to create a greener and more sustainable future for the Palestinian economy."

It is noteworthy that the convening of the conference comes in light of the climatic changes the world is witnessing, which have cast a shadow over various aspects of economic, developmental and agricultural life, including the banking sector, which necessitates standing and uniting in the face of these challenges by searching for radical solutions to reduce the risks of climate change.