Egyptian Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad met Tuesday with Australian Ambassador in Cairo Axel Wabenhorst to discuss means of boosting bilateral co-operation, particularly with regards to the files of climate change, biodiversity, environment tourism and waste management.
Fouad stressed the importance of co-operation in research about the recycling of plastic, especially after Egypt announced its national strategy to limit the use of single-use plastic bags.
The Egyptian government has also issued permits to establish environment resorts through the Tourism Ministry, Fouad said, noting that this is a milestone in promoting environment tourism in Egypt.
In its efforts to go green, Egypt does not only act at the level of the government, but also involves the private sector, especially startups which play an important role in this regard, the minister added.
For his part, Wabenhorst said environment tourism is a promising field of cooperation between Egypt and Australia. He told Fouad he is looking forward to learning more about environment tourism in Egypt. Fouad offered the Australian diplomat a brochure that provides information about 13 tourist attractions at natural parks in Egypt.
The meeting focused on steps the two sides believe should be taken to counter the impact of climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand the use of renewable energy.
