By R.Ravichandran
KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (NNN-Bernama) — As the host of the COP27 in November, Egypt’s vision for a global approach to climate change is for a united world facing climate change challenges through an urgent, ambitious, equitable, transformative and holistic manner based on science and principles, said Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry.
Sameh Shoukry said that this approach is aiming for a just transition to low-emission and climate resilient pathways and a sustainable future for the global population.
Egypt will host the 27th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El Sheikh in November 2022.
In the same context, the minister said that there is an urgent need to shift from pledges and potential contributions to delivery and implementations through timely, holistic actions at scale, as highlighted by science and confirmed by the political commitment demonstrated in Glasgow at COP26 last year, towards keeping the 1.5-degree goal alive and making sure the world stays well below two degrees.
Sameh Shoukry pointed out that there is a clear need for a balance between the urgently needed action to reduce emissions from all sectors, and the legitimate aspirations to achieve sustainable development, adapt to climate change and build resilience with just transition as a core principle.
“A balanced call on climate change should include adaptation and resilience as key priorities and ensure delivery of finance and technology as main enablers, with a special focus on Africa,” he said.
The minister said this in his reply to a written interview with Bernama in conjunction with his recent visit to Malaysia. The minister made a three-day inaugural visit to Malaysia from March 14 to build on the momentum of prevailing robust ties between Cairo and Kuala Lumpur.
Sameh Shoukry explained that through its vision for a global approach to climate change, Egypt aims to achieve several objectives:
Firstly to ensure the balance in messages coming out from the climate process between the two main components.
These are the mitigation that is needed to control the future impacts and reduce the possibilities of a scenario where global emissions lead to increase in mean temperatures beyond the tipping point of 2C, and the continuous calls from developing countries, in particular African ones on the need to deal with the current and short term adverse impacts of climate change, that include heat waves, cyclones, droughts, desertification, that are all induced by the current carbon content in the atmosphere.
Another objective is to ensure that actions taken on the ground are at scale and have impact, both for enhancing resilience and adaptation of livelihoods and also to reduce emissions through a just transition approach – dealing with climate change and the opportunities in a holistic way sensitive to social and economic impacts on developing countries, and other economic challenges, in particular the debt issue with its implications on access to and cost of finance for developing countries.
As the host, the minister said the Arab country also aimed to project an international image of Egypt as a country with a clear vision for the future of international cooperation on climate change by showcasing Egypt’s success stories, its leading role in Africa as a major advocate for Africa’s priorities and an active member of the developing countries.
Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt believes that the coming period should focus on the following tracks, namely continue mobilising for and encouraging reviewing of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC’s) towards achieving 1.5C and ensuring that 2C is not exceeded.
Besides that, to ensure that the processes established in Glasgow are in line with delivering on mandates specially the ones on finance and adaptation and enhance transparency through clear and substantive information on implementation of finance for adaptation put forward in Glasgow.
“(This is to) showcase we are in the implementation phase, at scale and through the correct instruments,” he said.
— NNN-BERNAMA
