Ambassador Ahmed Nehad Abdel-Latif, Director-General of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), highlighted key takeaways from the Aswan Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development and the COP27 Presidency’s climate change initiative at the “Summit for the Future” and the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Abdel-Latif, part of the Egyptian delegation led by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, participated in several events focused on global governance, peacebuilding, and climate change.
At a forum co-organized by the United Nations, the African Development Bank, and Aswan Forum partners, Abdel-Latif emphasised the need to strengthen the role of international and regional financial institutions in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
He cited Egypt’s statement at the Summit for the Future, where Foreign Minister Abdelatty underscored the “comprehensive vision of global governance” presented during the Aswan Forum last July. The statement addressed key topics such as the global agenda for prevention, sustainable peace, and the interlinkage between peace, security, and development.
Abdel-Latif noted that the Aswan Forum conclusions emphasised the need to expand the activities of financial institutions in peacebuilding, given the rise of conflicts worldwide. He also highlighted the need for reforming these institutions to ensure better representation of developing countries and their participation in policymaking, particularly regarding support for countries experiencing or emerging from conflicts.
Abdel-Latif further spoke at a roundtable discussion on climate change, displacement, and peace, organised by the COP29 Presidency and the International Organization for Migration. This event, moderated by the IOM Director, addressed the growing issue of displacement caused by conflicts and climate change, including floods and droughts, which have created complex humanitarian crises.
Abdel-Latif emphasised the negative consequences of displacement on peacebuilding and stability efforts.
He also highlighted COP27’s contributions to addressing these issues in Sharm El-Sheikh. These included the inclusion of references to climate-induced displacement in the outcomes of climate conferences and the launch of the CRSP initiative, now led by the CCCPA.
Abdel-Latif noted that the CRSP initiative marks the first time in the history of climate conferences that a COP Presidency has launched a specific initiative aimed at strengthening international action to address the impacts of climate change on peacebuilding efforts.
