"In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful"

Your Excellences... Heads of State and Government,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for giving me the floor to speak for the second time, during our meeting today. Allow me at the beginning of my speech, in the context of this important item that addresses the connection between climate change, opportunities and challenges imposed on the axis of regional integration, to express my sincere appreciation for your participation in the Climate Action Summit, during the activities of COP27 that took place in November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh and reflected the commitment of our African countries towards multilateral action to combat climate change.

I would like to commend the effort of my brother, His Excellency President William Ruto, for leading the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), wishing him success, as his country hosts the Climate Action Summit in September.

I would also like to congratulate my brother, His Excellency President of the Union of Comoros Azali Assoumani on the "Great Blue Wall" initiative, as a leading initiative to benefit from the riches of the blue economy, and adapt to climate change and thus contribute to the enhancement of development, especially in coastal areas.

Dear attendees,

Our summit comes at a time when the world is witnessing tireless efforts to deal with the current and expected effects of multiple crises, given their impact on the ability of developing countries, especially African countries, to achieve development for our societies and to maintain growth that was achieved. This is in addition to the status of uncertainty with regard to the international community, with its financing institutions, to provide the international environment to implement the green economy transformation.

This is, while bearing in mind the intertwined crises we are witnessing; the Ukrainian crisis, the energy crisis, the food and fertilizer crisis that coincide with a tangible increase in climate disasters.

Egypt hosted the World Climate Summit COP27 out of its keenness to participate effectively in formulating and facilitating the international effort to address climate change and to confirm the commitment of the African continent to advancing the climate action agenda by implementing the recommendations of science, in line with the principles of fairness and common but differentiated responsibilities and takes into account the national conditions of countries.

Our African continent is among the most affected as a result of climate change and its impact that varies between threats to coastal areas, increase in drought and desertification, and scarcity of water resources. This calls for looking for innovative ways to deal with it, given its centrality to the stability of societies and the achievement of sustainable development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Despite the commitment to seriously address the climate challenge that was demonstrated at the Sharm EL-Sheikh summit, what is actually being implemented on the ground is less than what is required. Development partners, including international institutions, are still incapable of responding appropriately to the needs of our African countries to implement the process of economic transformation for redirecting sectors like energy, transport and agriculture and preserving biodiversity and the ecosystems, while at the same time achieving the sustainable development goals.

Within this framework, I would like to outline to you Egypt’s vision with regard to the aspects that should be the focus of our efforts in the coming period:

First: Providing an appropriate environment for the prompt implementation of effective projects and programs to reduce emissions in the various sectors and facilitate access to renewable energy.

Second: Developing trajectories and fair programs for transformation in the various sectors.

Third: Focusing on the principles of equity and justice, whereby the transformation takes into consideration the social and economic dimensions and avoids unilateral measures that might have direct effect on the flow of international trade, particularly the exports of developing and African countries.

Fourth: Realizing climate justice and reinvigorating funding arrangements, the Loss and Damage Fund and adaptation financing, while acknowledging the burden endured by African countries to support their societies in the face of the negative impact of climate change.

Fifth: Enhancing regional cooperation to ensure the development of capacities to preserve the shared ecosystems, ensure the integrated benefiting by the states and contain any negative transboundary effects.

Sixth: Providing a supportive international environment necessary for the implementation, particularly concessional and adequate financing, and enhancing access to it, while ensuring its consistency with national ownership and that this does not result in a reduction in the funding necessary for eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development.

Seventh: Effectively addressing the debt challenge and the high cost of financing, including resorting to innovative solutions such as debt exchange mechanisms, and reviewing and writing-off additional fees and interests.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have presented to you Egypt's vision with regard to the areas on which we need to focus as part of our joint efforts to address climate challenges. I hope that work will continue to translate these recommendations into” doable initiatives”. Believing in this, Egypt has launched a number of initiatives for water, adaptation, agriculture, energy, hydrogen and biodiversity in cooperation with the international partners, including the” Decent Life Initiative for Africa” and “The Global Forum for Renewable Hydrogen” Initiative, which I invite you to join.

In conclusion, I am confident that the upcoming summit in the United Arab Emirates will be a tangible step on a fair and equitable path to protect the planet from the catastrophic consequences of climate change and look forward to cooperating with all of you so that African and developing countries will continue to steer the international agenda towards strengthening international cooperation in the face of the existential challenge posed by climate change.

Thank you

After that, a session was held on the initiative of the African Development Bank, in which the bank's president, Akinwumi Adesina, spoke about the bank's development initiatives in the African continent.

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto, in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on the sidelines of the President's participation in the 5th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union.

President of Kenya welcomed President El-Sisi’s visit to Nairobi, valuing the robust friendship and brotherly bonds the two countries share. The Kenyan President expressed huge appreciation for Egypt,  its people, and leadership. He underscored the broad prospects for further advancing relations and fostering closer joint cooperation between Egypt and Kenya. President Ruto also highlighted the prospects for strengthening joint African action so as to contribute to achieving the coveted sustainable development for the continent's states and peoples and stimulate efforts toward achieving continental integration at all levels.

President El-Sisi emphasized the outstanding bilateral relations Egypt shares with Kenya. The President confirmed the importance he placed on coordinating and consulting with his brother the President of Kenya on African issues so as to further advance efforts toward integration and preserving peace and security, and to enhance the development agenda in the African continent. This was demonstrated in the intensive engagement and bilateral meetings held between the two Presidents over the past period, the latest of which was their encounter last month at the COMESA summit in Zambia and their meeting at “The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact” in  Paris.

The meeting tackled ways to cultivate closer bilateral relations, and discussed a number of regional and continental issues. Those included the situation in the Horn of Africa and Nile Basin regions and the Sudanese crisis. The two Presidents reviewed efforts to coordinate initiatives aimed at settling the crisis, including the initiative emanating from Sudan’s Neighboring Countries Summit which was held in Egypt on July 13. This initiative integrates with other regional endeavors aimed at ending the conflict and heading to peaceful negotiations to achieve the interests of the brotherly Sudanese people.

 

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi returned back to Egypt, Sunday evening 16-7-2023, after participating in the coordination meeting of the African Union in Nairobi, Kenya.