Noting that the eyes and minds of millions of people the world over were directed to Sharm el-Sheikh to follow the work and outcomes of the UN summit on climate change, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi yesterday called for rapid, effective and equitable implementation of the goals of the Paris Agreement.
In a keynote address to the inaugural high-level session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) that kick-started in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, President Sisi said that the event’s aspired results would contribute to the transformation of millions of people’s destinies for the better and the creation of a clean and sustainable environment.
Welcoming the delegates and attendees, President Sisi emphasised that Egypt is pleased to host COP27 on its land and is interested in working with all delegates and participants to reinforce the values of co-operation and joint action in various fields.
The Egyptian leader also called for moves by world leaders gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, Presidency spokesman Bassam Radi said on his official Facebook page.
President Sisi hailed the high-level participation in the work of the conference as a confirmation of the attention world leaders accord to climate change action. “I hope (such attention) will reflect on the alignment of your countries’ positions with the title of the summit: Implementation,” the president said.
The president also noted that the conference is taking place in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh, the City of Peace, and the first of Egyptian cities to know its path towards green transformation.
Millions of people across the globe expect the conference to produce results that are more responsive to their needs and conditions and that are conducive to life, work and growth, without damaging our world’s resources, which must be further developed and invested, and made more sustainable, President Sisi said.
“The millions of peoples watching us today, who viewed our conference last year (in Glasgow); women, men, youth, children, farmers, workers, and businessmen, people from all over our planet share a common destiny and goal, the president said, adding that some are present with us here today, and some are outside of these halls and in front of the screens asking us difficult, but necessary questions regarding the extent of what has been achieved in efforts to deal with climate change.
“The most important question that we should be asking ourselves is: Does what we aspire to achieve fall under the scope of possible? Undoubtedly, it is not impossible if there is a genuine will and sincere intention to promote joint climate action and transform the outcomes of our meetings to a tangible reality,” President Sisi said.
The Egyptian leader expressed confidence that the conference would reach answers to those questions, and would respond to the concerns of the millions around the globe who are now, more than ever, suffering from climate disasters, whose pace is accelerating and intensity is increasing, in an unprecedented manner, day by day, all over our planet.
Elaborating, President Sisi said that one disaster ends in one place and another starts in a different place, leaving behind thousands of victims, injured and displaced and causing billions in material losses, turning the world scene into a constant display of human suffering in the strongest form. In this connection, the president emphasised that it’s about time for this suffering to end.
Today, President Sisi went on, what our world needs to overcome the current climate crisis and to reach what we have agreed on as goals in the Paris Agreement, surpass slogans and words. Today, our peoples expect from us rapid, effective and equitable implementation.
“Our peoples expect us to take real and concrete steps towards reducing emissions, enhancing adaptation with the consequences of climate change, and providing the necessary financing for developing countries that suffer the most from the current climate crisis,” the president said.
President Sisi noted that there is reason to make us hold on to hope in humanity’s ability to make a better future for generations to come despite all the challenges that we have faced and still face and also despite all the factors that cast shadow on our ability to reach the Paris Agreement goals and to protect our planet from a future in which temperature increase reaches 2.5° C and 3° C.
Peoples of the world, President Sisi said, have become more aware and knowledgeable of the scale of the challenges and the requirements to address them, and the high price of inaction. “There is also hope in governments that know what they need to do and seek to do that according to their capabilities and hope in a global business sector and civil society that own the tools that qualify them to play important roles within this framework,” President Sisi said.
Presenting Egypt’s own experience, President Sisi referred to the National Strategy to Address Climate Change, adding: “We are working diligently to accelerate the pace of green transformation by expanding reliance on renewable energy and clean transport. We have taken concrete steps towards the structural transformation of bills, legislation and government working mechanisms so as to contribute to the promotion of green investments.”
Regarding developing countries especially in Africa, President said it is necessary for these countries to feel that their priorities are addressed and taken into consideration.
Addressing the session, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told countries gathered at the COP27 summit that they face a stark choice: work together now to cut emissions or condemn future generations to climate catastrophe.
”Humanity has a choice: co-operate or perish,” Mr Guterres said, calling for a pact between the world’s richest and poorest countries to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels and funding to ensure poorer countries can reduce emissions and cope with the climate impacts that have already occurred.
In a statement to the session, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasised the importance of international co-operation to tackle climate change for the sake of future generations and the need for the international community to collaborate on finding practical climate action solutions.
He reiterated the UAE’s support for efforts to accelerate the global energy transition and enable sustainable economic growth, highlighting recent initiatives such as the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy agreement signed between the UAE and the US.
Also delivering statements to Monday’s session were Senegalese President Macky Sall who is the African Union’s chairperson, IMF Managing Director Kristina Georgieva, former US Vice President Al Gore and Barbados Prime Minister IA Mottley.
