climate change was one of the existential challenges for Africa as the continent incurs enormous losses as a result of the harsh climatic events
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi urged developed countries to boost climate finance to developing countries to support their mitigation and adaption actions and build their capacity to withstand the negative impacts of climate change.
The president’s remarks came as he participated Tuesday via video conferencing in the high-level meeting organised by the African Development Bank in co-operation with the Global Adaptation Centre under the title “Leaders’ Dialogue on the Africa Covid-Climate Emergency”.
The meeting was attended by a number of African heads of state and government, and French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres and a group of heads of international organisations and senior officials concerned with climate change issues at the international level.
During the meeting, the president stressed Egypt’s strong and extended commitment to climate change adaptation efforts, both domestically through developing an integrated national strategy on climate change, or regionally, through Egypt’s launch of the African Adaptation Initiative in 2015, or internationally through the co-chair with the United Kingdom of the Joint Coalition for Adaptation to Climate Change.
The president emphasised that climate change was one of the existential challenges for Africa as the continent incurs enormous losses as a result of the harsh climatic events, especially with regard to the exacerbation of water scarcity crises in some African countries, including Egypt, in such a manner that threatens the future of the African people and affects their security and safety.
The president also indicated that Egypt made an official offer to host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He stressed that Egypt plans to make this event a milestone on the road to pushing adaptation issues to top the international agenda for climate change, as part of Egypt’s relentless efforts to promote the interests of the African continent at all levels.
It was also agreed during the dialogue to continue and strengthen consultations to assist African countries in addressing the negative impacts of climate change, especially in the light of the negative repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic on development efforts in the continent.
