Egypt's Minister highlights climate change challenges, solutions at WUF12

CAIRO - 5 November 2024: Egypt's Environment Minister, Yasmine Fouad, attended a high-level dialogue focusing on urban development and the climate crisis during the 12th session of the World Urban Forum held in Cairo.

This forum, themed “Everything Starts Locally – Working Together for Sustainable Cities and Communities,” brought together 30,000 participants from 180 countries. The event is organized by the Egyptian government in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and runs from November 4 to 8.

Minister Fouad welcomed attendees, emphasizing that Egypt’s hosting of the forum comes at a critical time as global weather anomalies and floods increasingly demonstrate the intertwined nature of climate change and urban environments.

She noted that current reports highlight that cities contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions through construction activities, while simultaneously being the most affected by climate impacts. Therefore, addressing these challenges requires comprehensive policy approaches that incorporate economic, social, and environmental aspects.

Fouad outlined Egypt’s experience in integrating climate considerations into the development of new urban communities. This includes conducting strategic environmental impact assessments with a social perspective, implementing renewable energy solutions, and promoting eco-friendly transport like electric buses and bicycles. Additionally, Egypt supports bike-sharing systems in new cities to encourage sustainable urban mobility.

The Environment Minister stressed the importance of nature-based solutions in combating climate impacts, linking them with biodiversity conservation to maintain community quality of life. She highlighted a significant project supported by the Green Climate Fund to address sea-level rise in seven Egyptian governorates using such solutions. Egypt’s ENACT initiative, launched in partnership with Germany and other international partners, is advancing efforts to mobilize partnerships and funding for nature-based climate responses.

Fouad discussed the findings of Egypt’s green growth policy review, conducted with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). She emphasized involving the private sector in innovative building and planning practices, reducing associated risks, and creating governance frameworks for cities, including providing green incentives.

The minister also pointed to waste recycling’s significance in urban sustainability, citing the implementation of a new waste management system and the introduction of a law regulating waste management. This law promotes circular economy principles, private sector participation, and the reuse of construction and demolition waste as building materials. Moreover, waste is creatively repurposed in urban art projects to beautify cities.

The dialogue aimed to identify actionable insights for climate adaptation and mitigation strategies that consider technological, financial, and community dimensions. It focused on examining successful local solutions to empower policymakers in shaping global climate strategies and fostering climate-resilient urban development.

Fouad emphasized that tackling the climate challenge in urban areas requires fostering resilience through inclusive decision-making processes involving marginalized communities and establishing effective governance frameworks. Investments in renewable energy, resilient urban infrastructure, and water management are also essential. The minister highlighted the importance of public awareness and mobilizing investments through public-private partnerships to foster genuine community involvement in climate efforts.

The minister pointed out that Egypt’s 2050 National Climate Strategy serves as a comprehensive framework for embedding sustainability into urban development. It focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing climate adaptability through initiatives such as energy efficiency improvements, public transport expansion, and increasing green spaces. The strategy calls for stakeholder collaboration to support adaptive urban environments, introducing measures like a national green building code and developing rainwater collection systems.

Fouad also mentioned that Egypt’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) outline adaptation actions across critical sectors through targeted and cross-sectoral strategies, including early warning systems and forecasting mechanisms for weather and floods to bolster resilience against climate challenges.

This comprehensive approach showcases Egypt’s commitment to sustainable urban development and its proactive measures in climate adaptation, positioning the country as a model for integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions in urban policy.