The first national dialogue on climate change was launched by Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, from Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai Governorate. This comes as a continuation of Egypt’s preparations to host UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (UNFCCC COP 27) climate conference next November.
Khaled Fouda was there as Governor of South Sinai. He was joined by representatives of the House of Representatives, Senate, media, civil society and youth, and representatives of Al-Azhar (the Church).
A number of YouTubers, social networking sites, and public figures as well as leaders from the Ministry of Environment attended.
Fouad explained to us that launching the national climate change dialogue is a message for the world. COP 27 is an executive meeting in the first place in Egypt. This is a message from Egypt to the rest of the world to limit the impacts of climate change at all levels.
The minister stated that this will begin with citizens and include media professionals, religious men as well as youth and women to work with the planet.
She noted that Egypt’s hosting of the Cop 27 is the beginning of a shift to implementation for the world by integrating addressing climate changes in the lives of individuals and society as a whole and preparing partnerships with the private sector in all Egyptian governorates.
Fouad noted that Egypt has given great importance to raising awareness because it is the cornerstone of defining how citizens can contribute to climate change through their daily lives.
This will be done by rationalizing water, energy, and other resources. This is why the national dialogue was launched in all Egyptian governorates.
The Minister explained that the work to host the climate conference came from the political leadership’s belief in environmental work and Egypt’s role in addressing it.
The committee, headed by the Prime Minister, was mandated to prepare for the conference. This committee was formed to show Egypt in a new developmental form. It also has projects that consider the protection of the environment.
She reviewed Egypt’s efforts and projects to address climate change. The minister also spoke out on the topic of seawater desalination, and wastewater reuse. She also spoke about projects to protect Nile Delta, renewable energy, environmentally-friendly alternative energies, as well as the Amban Energy Project.
The minister also discussed the projects that Egypt is working to establish in order to counter the effects of climate change, despite the fact that Egypt’s emissions of greenhouse gases do not exceed 1%.
Fouad stated that climate change is now a reality and that everyone must be aware of it. Fouad stated that climate change is a reality in our lives, and that we are all suffering from the effects of weather fluctuations and unusual climate effects like forest fires, as well as other global effects.
Foad also announced the first award in environmental journalism and media for Egypt on climate change. This award will be held in cooperation with the Association of Environment and Development Writers. It is named after Suzan Zaki, a late great journalist. This award was given in recognition of her tireless efforts to spread awareness about climate and environmental issues over a period of more twenty years.
The Governor of South Sinai stated that Sharm El-Sheikh’s infrastructure and efforts over the years were key factors in deciding to host international conferences.
He stated that Sharm El Sheikh hosted the Biodiversity conference and the World Youth Forum. This forum was part of the COP 27. He stated that this conference is one the most important international conferences in terms both of its importance as well as the number of participants, reaching thousands.
The governor stated that Sharm el-Sheikh would be transformed into a city for international conferences, as conference tourism is one the most important forms of tourism to support the national income.
He explained that all the members of the governorate staff work together in full swing to finalize plans for developing the city and turning it into a green community before the COP27 climate conference, which will be held in the last months.
He also reiterated his support for the political leadership, all members of government, and the ongoing support of Ministry of Environment.