President Sisi’s speech at United Nations climate change conference in Dubai

CAIRO - 1 December 2023: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi participated today in the Summit of Heads of State and Government at the "28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change" in Dubai, which commenced with the opening session for national statements.

President Sisi reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to addressing the challenge of climate change, calling for global support and sincere cooperation for the United Arab Emirates to ensure historic outcomes from the Dubai conference, emphasizing our resolve and capability to save and protect our planet Earth, “the home of our life, the future of our children and grandchildren, generation after generation.”

Full Speech Text

"Brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates; Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Honorable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to begin my speech by congratulating the United Arab Emirates on assuming the presidency of the 28th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP28. I commend the excellent organization and express my full confidence in the UAE's capabilities to actively contribute to achieving the goals of this session.

Our conference today, like last year’s conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, convenes amidst serious political and international challenges, no less significant than the impacts of climate change. This requires us, as responsible political leaders, to work sincerely towards ambitious outcomes and accelerated implementation of previous commitments.

Egypt, in light of its presidency of last year’s conference and being directly affected by climate changes, recognizes the need to enhance urgent and collective action to tackle the challenge of climate change. This will bolster our ability to ensure environmentally sustainable development for future generations while addressing the severe climate effects and disasters that current generations face, which exceed the coping capacities of states, particularly developing ones.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our responsibility as leaders gathered today is to send a clear message that we are committed and ambitious in our actions and implementation. This aligns with the Paris Agreement, whether it involves responding to scientific recommendations or adhering to responsibilities and commitments based on each country's capabilities and their historical and current responsibilities for ongoing climate challenges. Therefore, it is important to reaffirm the principles of equity, just transition, and common but differentiated responsibilities as foundational principles in the multilateral framework.

In Sharm El-Sheikh, we focused on launching several pathways to achieve our aspirations in this regard, notably establishing a funding mechanism for developing countries to address climate-related losses and damages, an action program on just transition, and an emissions reduction action program. We paved the way for reaching a global goal for climate change adaptation.

In this context, let me express my appreciation for the results we have seen this year, whether regarding discussions on just transition, activating the action program to reduce emissions in the energy and transport sectors, or reaching recommendations to activate funding arrangements for developing countries to address climate-related losses and damages and the related funding mechanism.

However, the success of these efforts hinges on adequate financing in terms of tools, mechanisms, sources, volume, and ease of access. This leads us to the necessity of crafting a shared vision that includes agreed-upon recommendations on developing all elements of the system, from financing institutions and policies to evaluation institutions and the private sector.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We believe that achieving these goals is possible if we work together in a spirit of cooperation and participation. Therefore, we call on the international community to take more ambitious steps in Dubai, expanding community participation and avoiding unilateral actions that consider only narrow interests. I look forward to leaving our conference with an enhanced international framework to develop cooperation and provide the financial and technical support needed for developing countries.

In conclusion, I reaffirm Egypt’s commitment to confronting the challenge of climate change and issue a global call for all parties to provide full and sincere support to the United Arab Emirates. This will ensure historic outcomes from the Dubai conference, confirming to all the peoples of the world our resolve, and by God's will, our capability to save and protect planet Earth, our home, and the future of our children and grandchildren, generation after generation.

Thank you very much."