Youth Loves Egypt’ participates in COP 20 in Tirana

CAIRO – 20 December 2017: “Youth Loves Egypt” foundation (YLE) has participated in the 20th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (COP 20).

The meeting, held in Tirana Albania from December 17 to 20, aimed to improve environmental protection and sustainable development in the Mediterranean.
According to the United Nations Environmental Program Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP-MAP) official website, the main theme of the meeting was “Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with focus on Sustainable Development Goal 14: Pollution and Biodiversity.”

Ahmed Fathi, Head of the YLE, said on Tuesday that it is the first time for the foundation to participate in the COP meetings.

In his speech during the meeting, Fathi presented the YLE’s awareness plan to protect the coasts, especially nature reserves, from plastic waste. A similar project that aimed to collect plastic waste from Red Sea shores was implemented in the past.

The YLE is a national youth civil foundation with the mission of promoting and maintaining tourism and the environment, encouraging cultural exchange and preparing youth for the labor market.

The YLE attended the third United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) that took place in Nairobi from November 26 to December 6.

The Assembly passed 13 non-binding resolutions and three decisions, including actions to address marine littering and microplastics, preventing and reducing air pollution, and managing pollution in areas hit by conflict and terrorism.