Yasmine Fouad, Egypt’s Minister of Environment, has journeyed to Montreal, Canada to participate in a workshop titled “Endgame Facilitation,” in preparation for the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties on Biodiversity (COP16), scheduled for August 18 to 19, as stated by the Egyptian Ministry of Environment in a press release on Saturday.
During the workshop, Fouad will impart her insights gained as the President of COP14 from 2018 to 2021 and Egypt’s contributions to the development of the global biodiversity framework beyond 2020. Fouad had previously engaged in discussions with her Canadian counterpart to facilitate consultations on the global biodiversity framework during COP15.
Key figures set to attend the workshop include Huang Runqiu, China’s Minister of Environment and President of COP15; Xia Yingxian, Director of Climate Change in China; Maria Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development in Colombia; Marina Silva, Minister of Brazil; Maisa Rojas, Minister of Chile; Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canada; and David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
According to Egypt Today Fouad emphasized in the statement that the workshop aims to engage the past, present, and future COP presidencies—Egypt for COP14, China for COP15, and Colombia for COP16— in order to facilitate the success of COP16 and its preparatory negotiations in 2024. The workshop also aims to elucidate negotiation strategies, compile a report on negotiation management, and provide support to Colombia, the next COP President, in leading transparent and inclusive negotiations.
Fouad underscored the importance of clearly defined role allocation and integrated political leadership to guarantee the success of COP16. The workshop also sought to develop strategies to promote consensus, cultivate a conducive negotiation environment, interconnect issues, manage the agenda, and prepare the final declaration.
