Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El Saeed said Egypt seeks during its chairmanship of the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) scheduled for November in the seaside city of Sharm El Sheikh, to enhance international climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Saeed’s comments came during her meeting with a United Nations Development Program (UNDP’s) delegation led by Resident Representative in Egypt Alessandro Fracassetti, where they discussed ways of supporting partnership between the Egyptian government and the UN agency, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development on Friday.
The statement quoted Saeed as saying that her ministry looks forward to working with the UNDP to back development priorities in Egypt.
Those national priorities focus on achieving the country’s Vision 2030 and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of climate action, environment conservation, inclusive and sustainable growth and digital transformation, the statement added.
Saeed reviewed Egypt’s preparations for the COP 27, which is expected to offer innovative solutions that contribute to bridging funding gaps and addressing the challenges of the current decade, the statement read.
She noted that the Planning Ministry is supervising the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects, which reflects the joint efforts of the relevant ministries and all governorates to face climate change.
The minister explained that bringing about Egypt’s Vision 2030 requires overcoming a number of challenges, notably overpopulation, water scarcity, inadequate financing and the unpredictability due to global geopolitical conflicts.
In this regard, she stated that the country’s Vision 2030 was modernized to include the unprecedented changes at the local, regional and international levels.
On his part, Fracassetti said the UNDP delegation discussed with the planning minister the joint efforts to attain the sustainable development goals.
He added the UNDP is willing to cooperate with the Egyptian government on the country’s hosting of the COP27 and executing the current projects, as well as advancing common priorities.
Source: State Information Service Egypt