Egypt announces vision for cooperation with Africa over climate change

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced his country’s vision on Sunday to reinforce cooperation with Africa and tackle climate change, news agencies have reported.

“The required political and social environment for the quick implementation of projects and programmes to reduce carbon emissions and increase access to renewable energy must be provided,” said Al-Sisi. “Fair pathways and programmes for transformation in various fields must be formulated.”

He pointed out that, “Equity and justice must be the focus, while the required transformation must take into consideration economic and social aspects. Unilateral measures that have an impact on international trade must be avoided, especially with regard to exports from the developing and African states.”

The Egyptian leader made his comments in Nairobi as he attended the fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union.

“Regional cooperation must be enhanced to ensure the development of capabilities for preserving shared ecosystems and also to ensure that the states achieve integrated benefits and contain any negative transboundary effects.” Supportive international environment must be secured, he insisted, noting that this includes concessional and adequate financing.

“Debt and the high cost of financing must be dealt with effectively. This includes innovative solutions such as debt swap mechanisms and reviewing and writing-off extra fees and interest.”

In his speech, Al-Sisi said that the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), hosted by Egypt in Sharm El-Sheikh last November, reflected the commitment to deal seriously with climate challenges. He added that he is confident that the upcoming COP28 in the UAE will be a tangible step forward on the fair and just path to protect the planet from the disastrous implications of climate change.

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