Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat has met with Selwyn Charles Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Climate Action and Assistant Secretary-General of the Climate Action Group.
During the meeting, they reviewed the participation of the UN official in a session on climate change, within the framework of the activities of the first day of the Egypt – International Cooperation Forum (ICF), which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Office in Egypt, and senior UN officials, also attended the meeting.
They agreed also during the meeting that the final statement on the forum’s recommendations should reflect the emphasis on the principle of shared responsibility among all, with the need to take into account the differences and differences between countries.
The meeting discussed a number of important axes, including international moves and efforts to address climate change issues and international initiatives related to facilitating access to finance and promoting investments.
The two sides also discussed the strategic framework for partnership with the United Nations for the period 2023-2027, the issue of climate change and climate action with various United Nations agencies and programs within the framework of the established regional and international frameworks, foremost of which is the Paris Climate Agreement.
The meeting also dealt with the challenges facing developing countries and ways to accelerate the transition to a green economy, where national aspirations are based on a strong commitment to international agreements, as well as the ability to integrate work and green transformation into development projects, policies and decisions that help preserve the environment in line with the nature of the various economic sectors. .
Al-Mashat stressed that Egypt is working to follow an integrated approach to development cooperation to address environmental, social and economic issues, reviewing the development cooperation map to achieve sustainable development goals.
Talking about, the ongoing projects, Al-Mashat revealed that 34 projects within the portfolio of the Ministry of International Cooperation that respond to Goal 7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: “Affordable and Clean Energy” totaling $5.95bn, representing 23.2% of official development assistance (ODA), as well as Projects related to Goal 13 on Climate Action.
Al-Mashat pointed to the fact that Egypt issued the first green bonds in the Middle East and North Africa, stressing its commitment to green finance and sustainable development projects.
In terms of the renewable energy, electricity and oil sector in 2020, Al-Mashat said that her Ministry signed financing agreements worth $677 mi with the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
