Cairo Calls for African Coordination to Finance Efforts to Address Climate Change

Finance Minister Mohamed Maait. Reuters
Finance Minister Mohamed Maait. Reuters
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Cairo Calls for African Coordination to Finance Efforts to Address Climate Change

Finance Minister Mohamed Maait. Reuters
Finance Minister Mohamed Maait. Reuters

Egypt has called for coordinating the African stance in financing efforts to address climate change in a way that contributes to enabling the continent to address the phenomenon’s environmental and economic consequences positively and flexibly.

Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir said his ministry’s vision is not limited to transporting goods and passengers.

It aspires to participate actively in consolidating the concept of sustainable development to attain the required balance among social, economic and environmental requirements.

Wazir made his remarks during the “Climate Change Mitigation” session held on the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank’s annual meetings in Sharm El-Sheikh.

In order to implement this vision, Wazir said a comprehensive developed policy was adopted and includes the expansion of transportation means to connect Egypt with regional and international countries while reducing carbon emissions.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala al-Saeed said adapting to climate change has become Egypt’s top priority.

She said Cairo launched in 2021 a structural reforms program, which includes policies aimed at supporting the transition to a green economy and maintaining the sustainable use of natural resources.

“The state is working hard to prepare and launch the national strategy for hydrogen, the national strategy for managing water resources, and the strategy for protecting beaches.”

She further pointed to the efforts, in cooperation with the private sector, to adopt environmental sustainability standards, which aim for green projects to represent 30% of the state’s investment plan for the fiscal year 2021-22 and 50% of the fiscal year 2024-25.

Commenting on Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 Climate Summit, Saeed said Cairo targets achieving tangible progress in priority areas, such as climate financing, adaptation, loss and damage.

These objectives aim at helping Cairo address the challenge of financing adaptation to climate changes activities and ease the burden on the state’s general budget by reducing environmental pollution and mitigating its negative impacts.

Separately, Egypt’s Finance Minister Mohamed Maait held talks Saturday with his Senegalese counterpart, Amadou Hott.

Maait said Cairo is keen to reach a unified vision to protect African economies from global shocks, which intensified with the outbreak of war in Europe and the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic that led to a wave of inflation caused by supply chain disruptions and rising shipping costs.

He underscored the importance of improving the competitive capacities of the African countries’ economies, attracting investment opportunities, removing any obstacles, and creating a unified African market for goods and services.



Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
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Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed.

The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice," Sharaa said in a statement, AFP reported.

The attack "reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability", he added.

Condemnation has continued to pour in from the international community after the attack -- the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor, in a country where security remains one of the new authorities' greatest challenges.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.