The signing of the Green Hurghada Project Agreement between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Environment Affairs Agency was witnessed by Dr. Yasmine Fouad, the esteemed Minister of Environment. The project, which has been funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with investments exceeding $3 million, aims to promote sustainable development in the region. The agreement was signed by Dr. Ali Abu-Sunna, Head of Environmental Affairs, Patrick Gilbert, Director of the UNIDO Regional Office, and Ahmad Rizk, Deputy Program Representative of the Regional Office, in the presence of Engineer Jehan Biomi, the UNIDO Representative. The signing event was attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Environment.
Fouad emphasized that the project is based on the success achieved in transforming the city of Sharm el-Sheikh into a green city during the preparations for Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 climate conference. The project aims to support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the conservation of biodiversity in the coastal Hurghada region. This will be achieved by integrating innovative climate technology and biodiversity conservation practices in tourism, energy, and transport infrastructure.
The project included several action pillars, such as developing strategic policy frameworks for green recovery and sustainable growth in the tourism and other sectors affecting Hurghada and linking the Green Recovery Plan to financial support mechanisms and climate investments by promoting green technology investments to mitigate emissions and reduce the degradation of marine ecosystems and improving the economic competitiveness of the tourism sector, as well as ensuring the long-term environmental and financial sustainability of low-carbon infrastructure and investments in biodiversity, monitoring and evaluation.
The project was a part of UNIDO’s extended cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Program (UNIDO). It aimed to support environmental compatibility in the industry and many other areas within the framework of Egypt’s Green Transformation Plan. Over the past years, both organizations collaborated on several projects that have become inspiring success stories. These include the Energy Efficiency Improvement Project, the Montreal Protocol’s draft ozone-depleting substances project, the preparation of environmental investment strategies, and a bio-economic economy. The sustainable green industry project in Egypt was another notable achievement.
