The Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, stressed on Tuesday the importance of raising the commitments of the major industrialised countries to support biodiversity.
The remarks came during her speech at the closing session of the meeting of Environment Ministers of the seven major industrialised countries (G7) in France.
Fouad said that the world needs more ambitious and realistic visions of biodiversity issues, stressing the need to work in the coming period with all international partners to increase global support to preserve life on Earth.
During the session, the Metz Charter on Biodiversity was announced to be adopted. The charter will reinforce political commitment to halt biodiversity loss and to secure a strong global deal for nature and people in 2020 at the next international biodiversity conference under the UN Biodiversity Convention.
The minister of environment gave examples of the recent efforts undertaken by Egypt, most notably the “good life” initiative launched by president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi which aims to provide a decent life for the neediest.
The environment is included in the initiative with an important focus: the participation of women in local communities in nature reserves, where women find jobs in the protected area and preserve their natural resources, which is at the heart of the process of justice and equality in preserving biological diversity, according to the statement of the ministry.
She has also highlighted the importance of dialogue and discussion with young people and listening to their ideas. “This is an important process initiated by Egypt through the World Youth Forum. It is a platform for exchanging experiences and successful experiences among the world youth in many environmental fields.”
Fouad stressed the importance of women, youth, and the neediest people in the development and economic transformation processes currently taking place in Egypt and therefore joined two initiatives launched during the conference of environment ministers of the major industrial countries. The first one is on gender and the environment, and the second is related to the integration of the informal sector of the solid waste management system.
She also held a series of bilateral meetings with the ministers of environment of the major industrial countries to discuss the bilateral cooperation between Egypt and these countries in the field of solid waste management, and the use of modern methods in the management and development of nature reserves.
