Cairo – Egypt is racing against time to complete all preparations for the 27th United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP27, which will take place in November in Sharm El-Sheik, in the Arab country. This week, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired a meeting of the committee in charge of preparations (pictured above) and heard from ministers on the progress of the organization of the event.
Madbouly spoke about the importance of monitoring the infrastructure in Sharm El-Sheik to host the conference, especially concerning the improvement of roads and airports, to ensure a good reception to the guests. The Minister of Finance, Mohamed Maait, was at the meeting and gave an overview of the negotiations with hotels to receive the delegations and sponsorship for the conference.
The prime minister was on a trip to the Asian continent, during which he visited Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Pakistan. According to Madbouly, during the trip, Egypt was invited to participate in yet another initiative in the climate area by the G20 Climate and Energy team in preparation for the group’s next summit, which will take place in November in Indonesia. The G20 is the group of the 19 largest economies globally, plus the European Union.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told at the meeting there is an understanding among developing countries on the Egyptian leadership role in reaching the desired consensus and adopting a comprehensive approach to climate during COP27, taking into account the priorities and the positions of all parties.
Other ministers brought updates, some related to discussions and other practices. The Minister of the Environment, Yasmine Fouad, presented a report that, among other guidelines, proposes initiatives to be presented at the conference in areas such as water scarcity, coastal poverty, sustainable development of cities and waste management. The Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, spoke about the importance of mobilizing funds for the Egyptian government’s programs in the environmental area.
Transport Minister Kamel Al-Wazir gave an overview of the transport situation in the country to host COP27, such as the availability of buses. According to him, the estimates of schedules and numbers of operational buses have been completed to organize traffic in the streets and roads of Sharm El-Sheikh. A central control room for buses will be created in coordination with the Ministry of Communications.
Khaled Fouda, governor of Sinai province, where Sharm El-Sheik is located, also spoke of the city’s preparations meeting for the conference, especially the work on improvements to the central park, historic village, and Peace Road. The governor also spoke about implementing a visual identity for the city and recalled land was made available to implement solar energy projects.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiroذ.
