The African Development Bank (AfDB) conducted a high-level visit to Egypt from March 13-17, 2022, engaging with Ministers and stakeholders ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which takes place in November 2022. The purpose of the visit, led by Vice President Dr. Kevin Kariuki, was to establish how AfDB’s collaboration with Egypt can best ensure that COP27 optimally serves both people and the planet.
The AfDB delegation engaged with several Egyptian Ministers, namely, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation; Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment; Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy. Building on the positive outcomes seen at COP26 in Glasgow, Kariuki explained that early planning ahead of COP27 is critical as it will contribute to securing a safe and climate resilient future for the planet.
This official visit is part and parcel of AfDB’s collaboration with the Egyptian government to accelerate the ‘Glasgow to Sharm-El-Sheikh work program on the global goal on adaptation’. The agenda included decisions on a prior-arranged platform for African countries to reach a mutual position on climate change and methods to advance this position at COP27.
Moreover, Kariuki met with key stakeholders such as the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank and several United Nations Agencies to establish a common approach to developing the Glasgow Climate Pact and to identify goals specific to COP27 in support of the host nation.
“Egypt has undertaken tremendous efforts to address climate change vulnerability and impacts on the key sectors and has invested significantly to put forward measures to enhance their resilience”, commented Kariuki.
The AfDB also discussed the best ways to showcase Egypt’s ground-breaking initiatives in the green transformation space – such as the 2050 National Climate Change Strategy -, offering key adaptation and mitigation measures which can be useful for other governments across Africa as they establish their own climate change policies.
The AfDB has served as a key enabling partner for Egypt’s climate change policy development and implementation between 2007 and 2021, extending an estimated $1 billion in loans and investments to the north African country for this purpose alone.
