PM's Madbouli: Egypt applied required environmental sustainability criteria

CAIRO - 6 October 2021: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said on Monday Egypt has applied environmental sustainability criteria that have to be met in national investments and projects.

Egypt has also officially offered to host the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27), Madbouli said, noting that Egypt is keen to coordinate closely with the United Kingdom, the current host of this year’s conference (COP26).

The prime minister made the remarks during the second Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change, currently hosted by Egypt.

The meeting was held in the presence of First Vice-President of the EU Commission Frans Timmermans, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel, the environment ministers of some UfM member states: Jordan, Libya, Albania, Malta and Spain, in addition to the European Union Ambassador to Egypt Christian Berger.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad and Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs Badr Abdel Aati.

The prime minister spotted light on the new UfM environment agenda "Towards 2030: Agenda for a Greener Med", which aims to unify efforts to combat climate change, accelerate the green and digital transformation, address forced displacement and illegal immigration, as well as to promote peace and security in the Mediterranean region.

Egypt is an active member of the UfM and is exerting great efforts to implement the Greener Med Agenda, Madbouli noted.

In this regard, he reviewed some of the relevant initiatives launched by Egypt, and the efforts it has made to address the difficult challenges of climate change, including the issuance of green bonds for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa.

Egypt has also worked on formulating the first national climate change strategy in consultation with the authorities concerned and the civil society, he added.