Egypt’s environment minister, chairperson of Elders discuss adaptation finance to African women

CAIRO – 25 August 2022: Egyptian Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad held a virtual meeting, on Thursday, with Mary Robinson, the former head of the UNHCR and the chairperson of Elders (an independent group of global leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights).

The meeting focuses on Africa priorities to COP 27, said the ministry in a statement.

Fouad stressed that doubling the adaptation finance and realizing real advantages on loss and damage would be highlighted by women leaders during the COP27 in Egypt, during the day of gender, the statement added.

The minister continued that Egypt has launched an initiative for women, who are the most vulnerable to the global climate change. The Egyptian minister also tackled the adaptation finance and accessibility to this finance. “If there was no accessibility to the adaptation finance, there would be a fake space,” Fouad said.

Fouad emphasized that many countries in the world are currently suffering from many climate changes, such as high temperature, floods, or draught, calling for the necessity of taking serious actions to mitigate climate change impact. She confirms that adaptation is not detached from Nature and biodiversity.

On a similar note, Mary Robinson stressed the need to make real progress on the ground and to double the adaptation finance according to the Glasgow decision, the statement said. She also confirmed it is urgent to work on doubling this finance and to be sure of the advances by 2025.

Robinson continued that realizing real advantages on loss and damage beyond the adaptation finance is very important.

The chairperson of Elders invited the minister of environment to attend a meeting that will take place in New York on September 19, at 7:30 am, organized by women leaders Network, to discuss these two points in particular, the statement said.

Both sides agreed that Africa and Europe women networks must cooperate in order to move forward on these issues by 2023.