Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said that the funding allocated to international climate action has not yet reached the required amount. He called for more action to redefine criteria for projects to which funding can be channeled.
The foreign minister’s remarks came as he participated on Thursday in the Ministerial Meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate with the participation of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said.
The meeting is part of the ongoing efforts to prepare for the twenty-seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the UNFCCC which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2022.
During the meeting, FM Shoukri highlighted the need to take into account the consequences of the level of indebtedness of developing countries on their ability to obtain financing in this regard.
Shoukri expressed appreciation for holding this meeting, which provides an opportunity for dialogue with the largest economies in the world with the aim of supporting collective international efforts to address the phenomenon of climate change.
He also voiced aspiration that the forum, which includes major economies that have the largest share of polluting emissions, would help in crystallising a clear vision on how to transform the policies of various economic sectors in a way that enhances the effectiveness of international efforts in the field of climate change.
Minister Shoukri also referred to the success and momentum of the 26th session of the conference in Glasgow in terms of international climate efforts as it represents progress in efforts to adapt to climate change.
He made clear that Egypt is aware of the size of the responsibility entrusted to it as President of the next session of the conference, and its intention to build on what was achieved during the twenty-sixth session of the conference.
He also noted that Egypt is currently witnessing the stage of actual implementation of commitments related to climate change as stipulated in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the commitments made in the Glasgow Conference COP26.
He highlighted in the same regard that Egypt is convinced that addressing climate change is not the sole responsibility of governments, as it also includes the private sector, the scientific and academic communities and civil society organisations.