CAIRO – Egyptian Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad emphasised that this year’s celebration of the National Environment Day under the theme of “A Just Green Transition,” highlights Egypt’s continued commitment to this path despite the accelerating global challenges and crises, noting that all related efforts align with the directives of the president to place the environment at the core of development plans, and the prime minister’s focus on integrating the environment file into that of national security.
Her remarks came during the opening of a workshop organized by the World Bank as part of the 2025 National Environment Day celebrations, titled “Climate Action and Green Transition.” The event was attended by Stefan Guimbert, the Regional Director of the World Bank for Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti and Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Egypt Elkhan Polukhov, as well as several environmental experts, governors, media representatives, and officials from international organizations.
The minister highlighted several crucial steps taken toward a just green transition in 2024. These include the completion of waste management reforms and the successful implementation of a decision made four years ago to ban the import of waste. The decision has led to increased production of alternative fuels for use in cement factories, she said, underscoring the signing of six contracts for waste recycling plants producing alternative fuels. “This has indeed been a significant achievement for both the environment and industrial sectors in Egypt”.
Additionally, she said that efforts to formalize informal labor in the waste sector are underway, with over 300 companies receiving licenses for waste collection, transportation, and safe disposal. The minister cast light on the continuing cooperation with the private sector to encourage investment, particularly in agricultural and medical waste management.
Fouad also highlighted Egypt’s success in tackling air pollution and climate change in Greater Cairo, through a joint project with the World Bank to manage air pollution and address the black cloud phenomenon. This initiative, launched in cooperation with various ministries, succeeded in recycling 98% of collected rice straw and other agricultural waste, thus preventing 334,000 tons of pollutants from reaching the Delta, she said.
She boasted that the Ministry of Environment won the “Esri SAG Award 2024” for excellence in geographic information systems, particularly for its efforts in ensuring the sustainability of biodiversity through advanced technology for monitoring natural resources. Moreover, Egypt secured a significant green financing package, with a $200 billion investment in smart agriculture projects, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and the Green Climate Fund, she told the audience at the event.
She pointed out that in 2024, Egypt introduced its first transparency report, covering the period from 2020 to 2022, reviewing emissions and progress toward targets in several sectors. The report revealed successes in reducing emissions from the electricity and petroleum sectors, while the transport sector exceeded its emissions reduction target by 16%—well above the 7% goal, she said.
Commending Azerbaijan’s technical, political, and organizational efforts in preparing for the global climate summit, COP29, which focused on ambitious climate financing, she said Egypt played a key role in steering negotiations toward a collective climate financing goal of $300 billion annually by 2035, with an emphasis on adaptation and increased funding to the Green Climate Fund.
For his part, the World Bank’s regional director, expressed satisfaction with the bank’s role in the air pollution and climate change management project in Greater Cairo, praising Egypt’s progress in improving air quality and climate resilience. He lauded as well Egypt’s efforts to attract foreign investment in solar and clean energy over the past decade and underlined the importance of reducing coal use to lower carbon emissions.
Also addressing the gathering was the chief of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Ali Abu Senna, who provided an update on the waste management and air pollution projects, including the development of an integrated waste management system and the completion of the waste management complex in 10th of Ramadan City. He stressed the importance of addressing the impacts of climate change and improving air quality in Egypt, noting the significant strides made in waste management infrastructure and the country’s ongoing achievements in environmental projects.
