SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Tuesday attended activities of the second day of the World Youth Forum (WYF) in its 4th edition held under the slogan of “Back Together”.
The president attended a discussion round entitled “The road from Glasgow to Sharm el-Sheikh to confront climate changes” with the participation of Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli who delivered the opening speech at the session.
The four-day forum kicked off here on Monday with the president delivering a speech at the opening session.
Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli asserted in his speech that the climate change issue became pressing by all means.
He urged the world countries to work for confronting this phenomenon so that the world can cope with the challenges imposed by the climate change in the coming period.
The Forum is hosting young people from the world countries and it will last until Thursday.
The activities of the forum include many sessions and events taking up the issues of confronting the climate change and the future of healthcare in the world after the coronavirus pandemic along with the future of technology and digitisation after the coronavirus and the international responsibility for achieving sustainable water security.
The activities of the session started with a documentary on the dangers of the climate change on the earth planet and the devastation it caused.
The documentary indicated that after the coronavirus pandemic, the human beings started feeling that they are exposed to danger and the virus forced them to stay at home.
This underlined an important fact that they should change their behaviour for preserving the environment and the earth planet, the documentary added.
Participating in the session were Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli and Ambassador Mohammed Nasr, the director of the climate change and sustainable development department at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry along with Strategic Advisor on the Climate Change to the United Nations Development Programme Cassie Flynn and other international officials.
Former US Secretary of State and the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry expressed his pleasure over the participation in the forum.
He thanked President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for his interest in the issue of climate change and the commitment by the Egyptian government to sponsor the coming session of the UNFCCC COP 27.
In his speech to the forum via the videoconference, Kerry said that he will be pleased if he would help Egypt in the field of climate change.
Also, UK government’s Climate Envoy John Murton, in his speech to the forum via the videoconference, said that partnership with Egypt for confronting climate change is strong. He lauded the support offered by Egypt in the field of shifting into low-carbon economy.
He added that he will visit Cairo on Friday to discuss the file of climate change and expressed his pleasure for participating in the 4th edition of the forum.
He also underlined the importance of young people’s participation in the forum as they are the most affected category by the climate change.
During a plenary session, Head of Environmental Affairs at Egypt’s Foreign Ministry Ambassador Mohamed Nasr said that negotiations related to climate change now have a technical and political nature.
Not a sector of any economy whether agriculture, trade or industry will be spared the damaging ramifications of climate change, Nasr, who also doubles as African Union Commission Advisor, affirmed.
The developing countries are facing challenges in implementing programmes related to climate change, he said, pointing out that these countries lack critical financing to support climate-resilient measures, he added.
He also said that the developed countries supply not more than $600 billion in climate finance support for developing countries, while what is needed is about $ 5.3 trillion.
Nasr, meanwhile, said that most of the finance which is currently available is in the form of commercial loans.
Egypt is trying, through the decisions issued in the conferences of the parties, to send a message and instructions to the financing institutions and the community, and to put the issue of financing as a priority in the outcome of any international conference, he went on to affirm.
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