Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat participated in the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet’s (GEAPP) Global Leadership Council as a founding member of the alliance on Saturday.
The alliance’s members include The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, along with several international institutions and government representatives.
The event took place within the activities of the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that was held in New York and was chaired by Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre and President of The Rockefeller Foundation Rajiv J. Shah.
The GEAPP aims to expand the equitable transition to sustainable energy worldwide and to keep global warming below 1.5° Celsius through cooperation between international leaders and by promoting joint action between relevant philanthropic institutions, governments in emerging and developed economies, tech companies, and international financial institutions to push the green transition — especially in developing countries — as well as facilitating access to sustainable energy for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable economic growth.
Moreover, the GEAPP has set targets, including the creation of 150 million jobs over the next decade, reducing four gigatonnes of carbon emissions and expanding access to clean energy for about one billion people worldwide by creating the ideal environment, stimulating private sector engagement, and supporting innovative solutions through entrepreneurship in cooperation with the aforementioned philanthropic institutions.
In his opening speech, Støre emphasised that successive global crises are slowing progress towards a comprehensive and equitable transition to clean energy, coupled with the challenges of the war in Ukraine, the global energy crisis, and rising temperatures.
He added that as the 27th UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27) approaches, accelerating climate action has become urgent, especially by supporting emerging countries to reduce emissions and expand clean energy projects.
Støre also commended Egypt’s commitment to achieving a green economy transition and in promoting climate action and sustainable energy, noting the close partnership between the Norwegian private sector — represented by Scatec — and the Egyptian government to expand renewable energy and green hydrogen projects.
For her part, Al-Mashat stressed the importance of mobilising international efforts through multilateral cooperation to advance the climate agenda as per the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).
She also emphasised the role of philanthropic institutions in cooperation with international financial institutions to provide concessional financing that can support emerging and developing economies in achieving a just green economy transition.
Furthermore, the minister reviewed national efforts to promote climate action and the transition from pledges to implementation, sharing the recent launch of Egypt’s Country Platform for the NWFE Programme — the nexus point of the country’s water, food, and energy sectors.
This practical and replicable example brings together all development partners, with the private sector and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) to provide development financing, technical support, capacity-building, and private sector investments for the programme’s list of projects.
The GEAPP is co-chaired by Støre and Shah and includes many members, such as Al-Mashat, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, Director-General of the International Solar Alliance Ajay Mathur, President of the AfDB Akinwumi Adesina, CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund Andrew Steer, Chairperson of the Board of the Bank of America in Europe Anne Finucane, President of the World Economic Forum Børge Brende, CEO and Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All Damilola Ogunbiyu, and President of the World Bank Group David Malpass.
It also includes Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency Francesco La Camera, Chairperson of DRE Venture Jonathan Berman, CEO of RMI Jules Kortenhorst, as well as representatives from Tufts University, USAID, Inter-American Development Bank, British International Investment, the former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (2016-2022), the IKEA Foundation, the Italian Minister for Ecological Transition, and the European Investment Bank.
