The Egyptian government on Tuesday signed a new project worth USD 6.2 million with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the European Union (EU) and the Embassies of Denmark and Switzerland, as well as the African Climate Foundation to support Egypt’s hosting of the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh from 7–18 November this year.
COP27 is the world’s most important conference about climate change. This new project will bring together partners from the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia to strengthen climate action in support of Egypt’s COP27 Presidency Team.
The project will support Egypt’s COP27 presidency and its endeavors to implement the Paris Agreement through initiatives in several priority areas, including renewable energy, climate change adaptation and climate security.
Technical expertise and knowledge will be provided through the project to assist Egypt in delivering on its commitments as the host country of this year’s conference.
This will include providing support for consultations on regional and thematic groupings for inclusive negotiations, advancing multidisciplinary initiatives for climate action and showcasing the best practices from Africa and other regions.
On behalf of the COP27 Presidency team, Ambassador Ayman Tharwat, Deputy Director for the Department of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development at the Foreign Ministry said: “I express my appreciation to our friendly countries and the UNDP as implementation agency in supporting the 27th session of the conference of the parties (COP27) to the UNFCCC hosted by Sharm El Sheikh”.
“Today’s signing ceremony is a real manifestation of commitment towards the success of COP27 that aims to pave the way for a new era of implementation and mobilization of available resources to combat climate change and ensure just transition,” Tharwat added.
EU Ambassador to Egypt Christian Berger said “the agreements signed today are a tangible expression of the European Union’s support to Egypt in making COP27 a success. Together with our Egyptian partners, we are committed to lead global action to fight climate change. COP27 will be an important milestone in advancing our common climate agenda”.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt Alessandro Fracassetti shared the sense of urgency regarding climate action saying: “With just forty days to go till COP27, this is a proud moment for UNDP as we join our valued partners and the Government of Egypt in supporting the country’s presidency of this important conference. We recognize the importance of climate change: it is real, urgent, and affecting us all. UNDP is committed to supporting the COP27 Presidency Team in reaching ambitious but realistic and attainable goals”.
During the ceremony, Ambassador of Denmark to Egypt Svend Olling said “Denmark is proud to support the Government of Egypt’s COP27 presidency and further the precedent Cairo is setting in the region around climate issues.
Denmark has been committed to walking the talk on fighting climate change; from pushing for ambitious emission-reduction targets to ensuring more climate financing and coming together with our partners on climate action.
Our partnership with Egypt is a long-standing example, and so we are glad to witness COP27 in Egypt that works to accelerate climate action, ensuring inclusive, sustainable and ambitious results”.
On the occasion of the signing ceremony, Ambassador of Switzerland to Egypt Yvonne Baumann said “Switzerland is pleased to contribute to Egypt’s Climate Change Strategy through its Cooperation Program. It does so mainly by engaging on green finance, sustainable infrastructures and capacity building for green growth.
This is complemented by the current partnership with UNDP and the government of Egypt, supporting the preparation of COP27. We are excited to be part of it”.
Representing the African Climate Foundation (ACF), Faten Aggad said: “As an African-based and African-led foundation, we could not miss the opportunity of joining hands with the COP27 Presidency on this important event on the continent. Climate change is a reality for the African continent, and we are committed to playing our role as philanthropy by supporting African actors to help advance solutions that are fit-for-purpose and relevant to our context”.
