Over the course of 12 days, the COP 27 Climate Summit has witnessed  fruitful discussions, which reflected the aspirations and hopes of the global community, and the urgent desire to find radical solutions to confront the challenges of climate change.

Indeed, the summit came out with a package of recommendations and proposals that seek to stop environmental pollution and preserve the planet for future generations. All of this requires concerted efforts, develop a binding road map to remedy the environmental imbalance, and discuss ways to save the proposed solutions to confront environmental issues, climate changes and reduce emissions.

In this context, Canada Egypt Business Council and the Egyptian Business Council for International Cooperation held  a forum entitled “Environmental Challenges and Issues after COP 27” on the honor of H.E. Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Motaz Raslan chairman of CEBC and ECIC expressed his pride and happiness of Egypt’s  huge success in organizing the COP 27 climate summit which gain the respect, admiration and praise of all the world’s presidents and all the participants in this event.

 He added that the COP 27 has incorporated the participation of 190 countries, 120 heads of state and government and more than 44,000 participants from governmental officials, delegations, representatives of civil society organizations and the media. “Certainly, all this momentum and intense presence reflects the size of the global appreciation and the high status that Egypt has reached. Here I would like to point out that this success was preceded by a vision, planning and harmony between all state agencies until it came out in this honorable status, he explained”.

Mr. Raslan went on to highlight that this event is the third on CEBC and ECIC agenda to discuss the challenges of climate change including an event on the honor of H.E. Minister Sameh Shoukry discussing the road to COP 27 and another session during the COP 27 summit discussing the role of youth and women in confronting to climate change. “All of this, he concluded out of a strong belief in the significance of mitigating the negative impact of climate change and the keenness to raise awareness and find radical solutions to confront to the environmental challenges. In addition to call for the speedy fulfillment of commitments that help developing countries and protect the rights of the future generations.

On the same context, Minister of Environment, Ministerial Coordinator and COP27 Climate Envoy, Dr. Yasmine Fouad explained how Egypt’s success in hosting the COP27 climate conference became an inspiring story, given the global conditions and challenges that the world faced during that period.

Dr. Yasmine Fouad highlighted that the past two years have witnessed an acceleration in the effects of climate change. She added that Scientific reports have shown the urgent need to proceed in all tracks. “Mitigation measures are not a substitute for adaptation, and it is inevitable that countries will be affected by climate change, she clarified”.

The minister confirmed that the Egyptian presidency of the conference succeeded in placing the item of losses and damages on the agenda of the conference and establishing a fund for it, which is considered a great achievement. She went on to explain that President El-Sisi was keen on the availability of a place in the conference for the participation of youth, women, the local and civil society, and on the proximity between the green and blue zones to facilitate the raising of those voices to the official side of the conference to be taken into consideration in the negotiation and decision-making part.

The Minister of Environment indicated that the Egyptian state had many aspirations with regard to fulfilling financing and realizing the securities to developing countries, especially the African continent to which Egypt’s belong, in addition  to the national level obligations. “During the COP 27, after identifying global issues and launching initiatives related to them, every thematic day  launched 11 initiatives, including one for food security, she added”.

Dr. Yasmine Foaud stated that the excessive human exploitation of natural resources, the destruction of the environment and the industrial revolution, followed by a rise in the earth’s temperature, the deterioration of all kinds of biodiversity, and the drying of the soil made the year 2015 a turning point, during the COP21 climate summit held in Paris, in which it was agreed on four topics, namely preserving The Earth’s temperature so that it does not exceed 2 degrees Celsius. The second is adapting to the effects of climate change. The third is financing and fulfilling 100 billion annually from developed countries. The fourth is losses and damages, which is one of the issues that developing countries did not succeed in including on the agenda of the conference at that time.

She added that COP 27 had two parts, the negotiating track, where Egypt completed the Glasgow conference negotiations related to issues of mitigation, adaptation, financing and the carbon market.” Egypt is also completing its work on these issues during its presidency of the conference, and the second part is the informal track, she affirmed”.

The Minister of the Environment indicated that the preparations for the climate conference focused on the pillar of implementation at the green city of Sharm el-Sheikh as a hub of sustainable transportation, the urgent transition of energy and the increase of new and renewable energies. “All of this, she added,  required  great efforts at the government level and the private sector in order to introduce 15 megabytes of new and renewable energies to the city within 9 months, and to convert the roofs of 60 hotels to work with solar energy.

The Minister of the Environment indicated that the competition is open to solar energy companies, the wind energy market, and green hydrogen, and during the experience of using new and renewable energy in 60 hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh, they were connected to the electricity network for free to encourage them to use this technology, and to provide an opportunity for companies using solar energy units to grant loans. from national banks.

The minister confirmed that the initiatives came out after a consultative and participatory preparation process between the various parties, for example the FAST initiative on food security, which is based on agricultural food systems by supporting small farmers in developing countries, including Africa. H.E. Dr. Foaud explained that through the African Adaptation Initiative, the first phase will work on food security and implement projects as well as including small farmers in Africa to help them adapt to the effects of climate change.

With regard to converting waste into energy, the Minister of the Environment concluded that Egypt has selected between 93 companies, 53 companies have been completed, and the first stage includes 8 companies with technologies from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, allied with Egyptian partners. Throughout the year at a rate of not less than 1000 tons per day.

Then the floor was opened for questions and answers where many inquiries, questions and suggestions were discussed and many attendees praised the ongoing efforts of the Minister of Environment.