Swiss Ambassador for Climate praises Egypt’s efforts to reduce plastic waste, welcomes cooperation in environment issues

CAIRO – 22 January 2022: The Swiss ambassador for climate Franz Xavier Perez praised the Egyptian efforts to reduce plastic waste, and welcomed cooperation in environment field, during his meeting with the Egyptian Minister of Environment Dr. Yasmine Fouad Saturday.

The meeting was held to discuss ways of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of environment, and to prepare for the upcoming COP27 climate conference, in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of leaders of concerned bodies.

“Switzerland is a strong partner for Egypt in many areas of the environment, as the past years have witnessed cooperation between the two countries in the field of hazardous and medical waste, within the framework of Egypt's membership in the Basel and Stockholm conventions, and solid waste management,” Minister Yasmine Fouad said.

For his part, the Swiss ambassador stressed the importance of uniting global efforts in climate action to meet this great challenge, praising the outcomes of the Glasgow Conference, which will help support climate action and pave the way for more important results in the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Conference at the end of the year, which will be distinguished as an African conference, and his country's interest in topics Climate change and hazardous waste and its impact, as well as biodiversity and reducing the use of plastic.

During the meeting, Egyptian Minister Yasmine Fouad reviewed Egypt's efforts to reduce plastic waste, as it is part of the objectives of the new waste management system, which was prepared within the framework of the political leadership's directives to put an end to the problem of waste management in Egypt.

“The Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation and the Swiss Economic Cooperation and Development are our partners in The National Solid Waste Management Program.

The minister added that the waste management law includes organized procedures to reduce and limit the use of plastic bags in the future, as a result of the efforts of the Ministry of Environment over the past years.