Egypt’s Prime Minister, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, met today with Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the government headquarters in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital.
At the start of the meeting, Prime Minister Madbouly welcomed Dr. Yasmine Fouad and expressed the Egyptian government’s pride in having an Egyptian woman holding such a senior and influential position within the United Nations system. He stressed the state’s full support for her mission, wishing her success in delivering impactful contributions through the UNCCD, which serves as the legally binding international framework for addressing desertification and drought through multilateral cooperation and shared commitment.
Egypt’s Leadership in Combating Desertification
During the meeting, Dr. Yasmine Fouad expressed her pleasure at visiting Egypt on her second official international trip since assuming her UN role. She praised Egypt’s pivotal role and sustained efforts in combating desertification, highlighting large-scale agricultural reclamation projects such as New Delta, Toshka, and East Oweinat. She noted that these achievements are particularly significant given Egypt’s water scarcity challenges, which have been further intensified by the impacts of climate change.
Dr. Fouad also commended Egypt’s strong commitment to implementing the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, including the timely submission of national reports and the adoption of voluntary targets for land restoration and rehabilitation.
Expanding Cooperation with the UNCCD
The Executive Secretary outlined several opportunities to deepen cooperation between Egypt and the UNCCD Secretariat, including expanding technical collaboration and strengthening joint initiatives. She emphasized the importance of supporting countries—particularly in Africa and the Arab region—in addressing land degradation, drought, and desertification, challenges that increasingly threaten food security and sustainable development.
The discussions also focused on enhancing mechanisms to support UNCCD member states in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in light of growing environmental and climate-related pressures.
Sustainable Land Management and Climate Resilience
The meeting underscored Egypt’s continued engagement in global environmental governance and its commitment to sustainable land management, climate resilience, and regional cooperation. It also reflected the country’s support for international efforts to combat desertification as a critical pillar of environmental protection, economic stability, and social development.
