The Government of Egypt, UNDP, the European Union, the African Climate Foundation, Denmark, and Switzerland sign a $6.2 million project

By : Heba Abdel Fattah 

To support Egypt’s hosting of COP27

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union (EU), the Embassy of Denmark, the Embassy of Switzerland and the African Climate Foundation have signed a new $6.2 million project to support Egypt’s presidency of the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh from 7–18 November this year.

COP27 is the world’s most important conference about climate change. This new project will bring together partners from the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia to strengthen climate action in support of Egypt’s COP27 Presidency Team.

A signing ceremony marking the launch of the joint project took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt, in the presence of Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt, H.E. Ambassador Svend Olling, Ambassador of Denmark to Egypt, H.E. Ambassador Yvonne Baumann, Ambassador of Switzerland to Egypt, Ms. Sophie Vanhaeverbeke, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Egypt, Ambassador Yasser Abed, Director of the Department for International Cooperation for Development, in Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Ayman Tharwat, Deputy Director for the Department of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

The project will support Egypt’s COP27 presidency and its work towards implementing the Paris Agreement through initiatives in several priority areas, including renewable energy, climate change adaptation, and climate security.

Technical expertise and knowledge will be provided through the project to assist Egypt in delivering on its commitments as the host of this year’s conference. This will include expert support for consultations on regional and thematic groupings for inclusive negotiations, the advancement of multidisciplinary initiatives for climate action, and the showcasing of best practices from Africa and other regions.

On behalf of the COP27 Presidency team, Ambassador Ayman Tharwat, Deputy Director for the Department of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, MoFA added: “I express my appreciation to our friendly countries and the UNDP as implementation agency in supporting the 27th session of the conference of the parties (COP27) to the UNFCCC hosted in Sharm El Sheikh. Today’s signing ceremony is a real manifestation of commitment towards the success of COP27 that aims to pave the way for a new era of implementation and mobilize available resources to combat climate change and ensure just transition.”

H.E. Ambassador Christian Berger, the Head of EU Delegation to Egypt, said that: “the agreements signed today are a tangible expression of the European Union’s support to Egypt in making COP27 a success! Together with our Egyptian partners, we are committed to lead global action to fight climate change. COP27 will be an important milestone in advancing our common climate agenda.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, UNDP’s Alessandro Fracassetti shared the sense of urgency regarding climate action: “With just forty days to go till COP27, this is a proud moment for UNDP as we join our valued partners and the Government of Egypt in supporting the country’s presidency of this important conference. We recognize the importance of climate change: it is real, urgent, and affecting us all. UNDP is committed to supporting the COP27 Presidency Team in reaching ambitious but realistic and attainable goals.”

During the ceremony, Ambassador of Denmark to Egypt Svend Olling highlighted that: “Denmark is proud to support the Government of Egypt’s COP presidency and furthering the precedent Cairo is setting in the region around climate issues.  Denmark has been committed to walk the talk on fighting climate change; from pushing for ambitious emission-reduction targets to ensuring more climate financing and coming together with our partners on climate action. Our partnership with Egypt is a long-standing example, and so we are glad to witness COP27 in Egypt that works to accelerate climate action, ensuring inclusive, sustainable and ambitious results.”

On the occasion of the signing ceremony, Ambassador of Switzerland to Egypt, H.E. Yvonne Baumann, stated that “Switzerland is pleased to contribute to Egypt’s Climate Change Strategy through its Cooperation Programme. It does so mainly by engaging on green finance, sustainable infrastructures and capacity building for green growth. This is complemented by the current partnership with UNDP and the government of Egypt, supporting the preparation of COP27. We are excited to be part of it.”

Representing the African Climate Foundation (ACF), Faten Aggad said: “As an African-based and African-led foundation, we could not miss the opportunity of joining hands with the COP27 Presidency on this important event on the continent. Climate change is a reality for the African continent, and we are committed to playing our role as philanthropy by supporting African actors to help advance solutions that are fit-for-purpose and relevant to our context”.