Egypt Advances its Environmental Agenda Towards Sustainable and Biodiverse Future

Egypt is making significant strides toward urban greening. In this regard, the cabinet is actively enhancing green mechanisms to achieve environmental sustainability, as outlined in its integrated plan for 2024-2027.

Amid these efforts, Environment Minister, Yasmine Fouad,  is engaging with global partners like Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to improve biodiversity funding mobilization. Their recent discussions at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Colombia highlighted the GEF’s critical role as a funding mechanism for the three Rio Conventions, especially as Egypt seeks to fulfill its international environmental obligations despite economic pressures.

Fouad emphasized the need for a transformative funding system that adequately supports developing countries, pointing to the example of Costa Rica, which, despite its rich biodiversity, receives insufficient funding. She expressed hope that COP16 would result in an evaluation of the GEF’s effectiveness as a financing mechanism within the next two years, particularly to enhance support for the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, which aims to help developing nations implement the global biodiversity framework.

In parallel, the Egyptian government is focused on completing the ambitious 100 million tree initiative, developing green belts around main roads and new industrial cities, and promoting sustainable buildings that consume less energy and water while generating minimal pollution. The government is also working to improve air quality, combat pollution, and enhance green spaces in residential areas, ensuring that environmental sustainability is at the forefront of urban development.

Egypt is among the first countries that have applied the nature-based solutions (NbS) in the North Coast and Nile Delta, in seven governorates. This came in parallel to  launching a new discussion paper by the global ENACT Partnership at United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16), according to Ministry of Environment’s statement on Thursday.