Hosting, organizing COP27 is an “honor and responsibility”: Egypt’s FM Shoukry

CAIRO – 7 November 2022: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, President of the 27th Climate Conference, said that preparations for the COP 27 climate summit have taken place since the end of COP 26 in Glasgow.

In televised statement, Monday, Shoukry stressed that Egypt's hosting of the summit is “an honor and responsibility”, given its interest and responsibility over the years towards climate change issues.

Shoukry added, that “organizing and hosting the COP summit in Egypt is a responsibility, as it affects the interests of every citizen worldwide, especially the developing countries."

The FM described COP27 as the “the summit of implementation” in a practical and realistic way that has an impact with regard to mitigation and adaptation, such as the issue of financing.”

Shoukry explained that it was estimated to fundraise the amount of $100 billion, which is way less than the needed to face the climate challenges globally; however, the failure to fulfill this commitment over the past years, successively, destabilized a great deal of confidence that we can over come the climate change challenges.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister said that there are a number of national, regional and international initiatives that have been formulated dealing with issues related to climate change within the framework of food security, water security, dependence and expansion of new and renewable energy, and that all of It ‘has an impact on the challenge of climate change.’

“I call for the immunizing of the conference from any geopolitical influences so that no priority appears except the priority of protecting the planet from climate change, which has an impact on the lives of citizens”. Shoukry said.

Sunday, November 6, was 1st day of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference [COP27] was inaugurated on Sunday in Sharm el Shiekh city, In the midst of a remarkable number of attendees from all over the world.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al Sisi said that he is looking forward for the inauguration of the summit’s activities.

He added that “the current session of the Climate Summit comes at a very sensitive time, in which our world is exposed to existential threats and unprecedented challenges, affecting the very survival of our planet and our ability to live on it.”

“There is no doubt that these dangers and challenges require quick action by all countries to develop a road map to rescue, protect the world from the effects of climate change.” Sisi added.

During the first day, which included handing over the COP presidency from Alok Sharma, the president of Glasgow’s COP26, to Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry included speeches for Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Hoesung Lee, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Simon Stiell along with FM Shoukry and Sharma.

In his speech, Shoukry thanked all participants for their trust in Egypt, reflected in choosing it to host "the most important and largest international event."

Shoukry began his speech by saying he is certain Egypt will receive all the support from the participants to achieve together our targets. For its part, Egypt will endeavor to facilitate the best conditions for all participants from governmental and non-governmental entities to contribute to the hoped outcome of COP27.