Egypt’s Ministry of Environment convened a high-level meeting to review the latest advancements in its National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, emphasized the imperative for a comprehensive, stakeholder-driven process, aiming to elevate public awareness and leverage diverse expertise in climate adaptation strategies.
National Adaptation Plan: A Collaborative Imperative
The meeting brought together Dr. Ali Abu Sinna, CEO of the Environmental Affairs Agency, Tamer Abu Gharara, the Minister’s Advisor for International Cooperation, Hoda Omar, Assistant Minister for Environmental Tourism, Suha Taher, Head of the Central Administration for Climate Change and International Cooperation, Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi, representing the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Dr. Khaled Khair El-Din, Director of the NAP project.
During the meeting, Dr. Yasmine Fouad expressed her hope that the process of preparing the national adaptation plan would serve as a valuable opportunity to raise public awareness and interest in climate change and adaptation measures, enabling citizens to become partners in developing Egypt’s national adaptation plan. She emphasized that adaptation is a priority, given Egypt’s vulnerability to climate change impacts, despite being among the world’s lowest contributors to emissions.
The Minister of Environment also highlighted the importance of broadening the base of partners and stakeholders from various segments of society, including school children, youth, scientific research, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and relevant ministries. She stressed the need to focus on priority governorates for adaptation and to ensure that the national adaptation plan serves as an umbrella for all adaptation projects implemented in Egypt.
Dr. Yasmine Fouad explained that the plan will assist decision-makers in prioritizing adaptation measures by providing climate change impact projections up to the year 2100. A team of consultants is working on six priority sectors, including public health, groundwater, biodiversity, desertification (wadis and dams), and coastal areas.
The Minister of Environment commended the capacity-building efforts within relevant ministries regarding climate change adaptation. She emphasized the importance of engaging the private sector and various stakeholder groups to raise awareness about climate change, the importance of adaptation, and the features of the national plan. She also highlighted the need to leverage the experiences and expertise of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive national adaptation process, as they can contribute to identifying suitable adaptation mechanisms based on their diverse community knowledge and success stories, which should be included in the national plan.
Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi, Assistant Resident Representative of UNDP, stated that work is underway on the interactive adaptation map study this year, with the aim of finalizing the map next year.
Bayoumi emphasized that the preparation of the national adaptation plan was preceded by a review and analysis of adaptation plans from various countries, considering their strengths and weaknesses.
The plan development team presented its key features, including the development of an interactive map targeting priority adaptation sectors such as agriculture, water, and urban transport. This involves two approaches: assessing climate risks by calculating the exposure of different groups and infrastructure to climate change impacts, and measuring the impact on each sector through collaboration with relevant ministries. A set of climate change impacts, such as increased temperatures, wind speeds, and rainfall, has been identified. The sensitivity, potential damages, and adaptation capacities of each sector, considering both social and infrastructure aspects, are then calculated. Climate risks are determined using mathematical equations across all Egyptian governorates. This process also builds on existing initiatives, such as the Nature-based Solutions (ENACT) initiative.
Additionally, a comprehensive database containing all available climate change impact maps is being developed, which will be completed next year. Training will be provided to relevant ministries and entities on its use.
