Egypt’s FM receives General Electric's chief sustainability officer ahead of COP27

CAIRO – 20 April 2022: Egypt’s Foreign Minister and President-designate of the 2022 UN Climate Conference (COP27) Sameh Shoukry received on Wednesday Roger Martella, Chief Sustainability Officer at General Electric (GE).

The meeting came within the framework of the Egyptian presidency’s keenness to communicate with various parties concerned with climate action, including representatives of the private sector, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Shoukry said Egypt will employ its regional and international weight as well as its diplomatic capabilities to encourage countries to reach tangible outcome that could contribute to reducing carbon emissions, adapting to climate change effects, and providing the necessary funding for developing countries.

Shoukry said in an article published by Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) that Egypt would spare no effort to encourage all countries to take concrete and practical action to address climate change.

The top Egyptian diplomat explained that the climate change's issue tops the world's challenges after scientific evidence showed that human activity since the industrial revolution has been and is still causing severe damage to all countries and societies.

Shoukry stressed the need for urgent action by all countries to cut carbon emissions caused by this growing industrial activity.

He indicated that Egypt's presidency of the COP27 comes at a time when the world economy is still recovering from the coronavirus' repercussions, along with the current geopolitical tensions that badly affect world economies.

Shoukry underlined that those developments require concerted efforts by all countries to render the UN Climate Change Conference a success and achieve the desired goal in decreasing emissions and halting rising temperatures.

Egypt is gearing up to host COP27 in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

In March, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi followed up on preparations for COP27 set to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh city in November.

During a meeting with the ministerial group in charge of preparing for the conference and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Sisi ordered providing all financial resources to gear up for the summit in November.

Sisi urged all relevant bodies to step up for organizing the event in a way that reflects Egypt's regional and international significance and the country’s efforts to achieve green transition, protect environment and increase the use of clean energy.

MENA contributed to the reporting.