Sharm's hosting of COP14 conference indicates tourism boost

CAIRO - 1 May 2017: Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy announced Monday preparations to host the 14th Biodiversity Conference (COP14) in October 2018.

The COP14 is set to take place in the South Sinai city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where more than 150 states and thousands of experts will participate, Fahmy said in a press conference Monday. Egypt is the second African country to host the conference.

“This conference is a great boost to the tourism sector in Egypt… and emphasizes the country’s effective role in hosting global events,” Fahmy said.

The minister stressed that the conference will focus on integrating biodiversity into developmental sectors including economy, industry, tourism and agriculture.

Fahmy further explained that an agreement between Egypt and the Convention on Biological Diversity is expected to be signed ahead of the COP14, in order to organize and identify tasks related to previous biodiversity conferences.

The conference will include a series of events for youth, media, civil society organizations concerned with environmental affairs, industry and business sectors, said Fahmy.

During Monday's conference, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Cristiana Palmer praised Egypt’s preparations for the COP14, saying that “biodiversity is not less important than climate change,” however, it could be integrated into development sectors as a way to counter effects of climate change.

The U.N. Biodiversity Conference took place last year in Cancun, Mexico, while China will be the venue of the conference in 2020.