Cairo: Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad met with Mr. Gareth Bailey, the British Ambassador in Cairo, to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation in achieving a green transition across several sectors. The meeting was attended by Ambassador Raouf Saad, the Minister of Environment's Advisor for Multilateral Agreements, Ms. Suha Taher, Head of the Central Administration for International Cooperation and Climate Change, and Ms. Amira Moussa, Director of the Climate Change Department at the British Embassy.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Dr. Yasmin Fouad received congratulations from the British Ambassador on her new role as Executive Director of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. She expressed her eagerness to translate Egypt's early calls for linking the pathways of the three "Rio" UN agreements, particularly with the objectives related to the Fair Green Transition Programme and emission reduction targets, as well as implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework 2030 and preparing a new international framework for desertification beyond 2030.
Dr. Yasmin Fouad welcomed the British Ambassador's invitation for Egypt to participate in the Green Growth campaign to become a partner in the Green Energy Alliance. This initiative aims to enhance green investments in emerging markets and accelerate the transition to clean energy, creating opportunities for future generations to provide decent job opportunities and economic growth. The British Ambassador expressed his hope for Egypt to share its success stories and promising investment opportunities in environmental and climate initiatives and to support its implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The Minister of Environment affirmed that achieving a green transition requires creating a supportive climate, engaging the private sector, and identifying the sectors to focus on, whether through reducing pollution and emissions from various sectors or through the sustainable management of natural resources. The eco-tourism sector is a critical component in achieving the green transition, especially since tourism in Egypt represents an essential part of the national income and relies heavily on natural resources. Therefore, Egypt has been moving towards eco-tourism for several years, creating unique experiences for tourists to enjoy natural resources while preserving them. In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, guidelines and criteria for eco-lodges have been announced, as well as other activities related to eco-tourism, with financial facilitation provided for their implementation, making eco-tourism one of the sectors benefiting from green incentives in the Egyptian Investment Law.
Dr. Yasmin Fouad added that investment in eco-tourism aligns with the state's goal of achieving a green transition. The Ministry of Environment has established a strong partnership with the private sector operating in tourism, which represents 98% of the sector in Egypt. The ministry supported divers and fishermen during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing alternative job opportunities, enabling them to become environmental advocates in defending against any encroachments on natural resources in coastal areas and investing in protected areas in cooperation with various civil society organizations. She explained that work is underway to declare the entire Red Sea coastline as a protected area, increasing the area of protected areas in Egypt to 22%, thereby enhancing the global goal of declaring 30% of protected areas.
The Minister of Environment also highlighted the integrated waste management sector as one of the fields for achieving a green transition and circular economy, pointing to the success story of cement factories adopting alternative fuel production to incorporate it into their energy mix, especially with rising traditional fuel costs, and banning the import of waste from outside the country. The Ministry of Environment has managed to regulate the system by not granting licenses for coal use without guarantees for factories to use alternative fuel and implementing a transition plan, requiring them to use 10% of alternative fuel derived from waste, and currently, they are using 30% of it in their energy mix.
Dr. Yasmin Fouad clarified that cooperation with the British side in the field of green growth will benefit Egypt in implementing its Nationally Determined Contributions, especially as Egypt delivered a strong message to the world through the first transparency report submitted last December to the United Nations Climate Agreement. This report monitored the results of efforts to combat the impacts of climate change in Egypt up to 2022 and showed significant progress in achieving targets set in sectors such as electricity, petroleum, and transport, with the transport sector exceeding its emission reduction target.
She added that cooperation can take place in implementing the new update of the Nationally Determined Contributions plan, which is expected to be completed soon, particularly in building capacities within the ministries and relevant sectors in light of the establishment of climate change units and monitoring and verification systems (MRV), as well as in raising public awareness about climate challenges and investment opportunities to achieve a green transition.
The Minister of Environment emphasized that Egypt is committed to multilateral environmental work and continues to play its leading role in environmental action to achieve a green transition. Despite facing challenges, it is seriously addressing various issues, including the upcoming global plastic treaty, where it has taken the initiative to communicate with numerous countries to reach consensus on it. At the national level, it has issued a decision to apply extended producer responsibility for single-use plastic bags.
For his part, the British Ambassador confirmed his eagerness for Egypt to join the Green Energy Alliance under the Green Growth campaign and to support it in implementing its specific contribution plans, as well as in nature conservation and eco-tourism, through the Blue Planet Fund worth £500 million. This fund will provide grants to support communities and partners, and also to collaborate in conserving natural resources in the Red Sea, which is considered a jewel among the world's treasures rich in natural heritage and distinctive coral reefs.