Egypt’s Orthodox Church signs cooperation protocol to protect environment, achieve sustainable development

CAIRO – 15 June 2022: Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church signed a cooperation protocol with the Ministry of Environment, and released a document expressing its stance towards environmental protection.

The protocol was signed by Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark and Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, in the presence of Bishop Julius, General Bishop of Masr El Adema and the episcopate of public, social services, along with number of ambassadors and representatives of the United Nations bodies and civil society organizations.

The cooperation agreement aims to promote joint action in the field of environmental issues and to reach a general culture of society that translates into positive behaviors towards the environment and its natural resources in order to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development.

 In his speech, Bishop Julius pointed out to the importance of partnership for the development of the Egyptian society and to reach for the most needy and marginalized groups. He also stressed that the episcopate pays great attention to supporting environmental issues, especially climate change, because of their social and economic impacts that impede the development process, which requires more cooperation between all concerned parties to protect and develop them.

In her speech, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, praised the efforts of the Coptic Church, led by Pope Tawadros II, to support the state’s efforts to preserve the environment and its resources, stressing that the government pays great attention to the environmental dimension and realizes the importance of raising the awareness of individuals, noting that the government seeks not only to Protecting the environment but also for the sustainability of resources to ensure their survival for future generations.

The Minister praised the Church’s role in implementing the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, which will be implemented with the participation of all segments of society.

She also praised the document launched by the Coptic Church, from which the most important development messages were extracted, including: linking environmental preservation to the idea of societies’ resilience in the face of climate change, as developing countries, including Egypt, although they did not cause climate change emissions, are the most affected by it, which requires strengthen the capabilities of those countries to adapt to the effects of climate change and create societies that are resilient to the effects of climate change.