Speech by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Climate Change Summit

"In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

Mr. Boris Johnson,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
Mr. António Guterres,
Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the beginning, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for their invitation to this important meeting. This meeting comes as we usher in a new phase in international action on climate, which imposes upon us all the need to exert increased efforts to counter climate change and its negative repercussions, which pose an unprecedented existential threat to the entire humanity.

In this regard, I will focus today on three key messages with regard to the main aspects of climate action:

First:

The latest report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was a “code red for humanity”. The report’s release, coinciding with large-scale wildfires in several parts of the world, is an alarm urging us to act immediately if we seek to achieve the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal [Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius].

Therefore, Egypt reiterates the need for developed countries to assume their responsibility and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This shall take place through updating the countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and living up to their pre-2020 climate commitments under The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

We look forward to the next session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in the UK to come out with positive results at these levels. Simultaneously, we confirm that for the time being, we are carefully studying the best ways to update our Nationally Determined Contributions and the right timing for that. This comes in line with our developmental priorities and our international commitment to the provisions of the Paris Agreement so that our updated contributions constitute a stimulus and support, not a burden, for our development efforts and our endeavors to recover from the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic based on the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) and the different capabilities of the countries.

Second:

Adaptation to climate change is of utmost priority to our developing countries, particularly in the African continent, which is bearing the brunt of the repercussions of this phenomenon. This includes water scarcity, drought, desertification and threats to food security although Africa is not responsible for the current climate disruption.

In this regard, Egypt calls for addressing Adaptation issues on par with efforts aimed at reducing emissions. Egypt hopes the next session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, presided over by the UK, would also result in a clear executive plan to achieve the global goal on adaptation as stipulated in the Paris Agreement.

Egypt also looks forward to developed countries to increase climate finance to adaptation with their Nationally Determined Contributions.

Moreover, we call on all parties to join the Egypt-UK Partnership, established in 2019 to address adaptation issues, which resulted in positive outcomes, primarily the launch of the “Adaptation Action Coalition” on which we heavily rely to build momentum for adaptation, a key aspect of the international action on climate.

Third:

The ability of our developing countries to enhance action on climate and raise climate ambition depends on the ways and executive mechanisms available, primarily climate finance.

We are concerned about the gap in climate finance between the needs of the developing countries to live up to their commitments under the Paris Agreement and what is actually available. Developed countries are still unable to make good on their pledge to mobilize $100 billion dollars annually in climate finance to support the needs of developing countries, and developing countries are still facing formidable hardships to access the available climate financing.

Therefore, it is necessary for the next Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, to be held in the UK, to result in tangible outcomes on climate financing, via making progress toward the annual USD 100 billion goal in line with the relevant UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties resolutions.

In this regard, we welcome the UN Secretary General’s call for committing 50% of the total share of climate finance to adaptation. We hope this call would resonate on the work of climate finance mechanisms, including the Green Climate Fund, so as to contribute to strengthening climate action in developing countries and alleviate most of the heavy burden resulting from the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, I would like to confirm that Egypt looks forward to working with the United Kingdom in pursuit of balanced outcomes for the benefit of all sides from the next Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC.

We also look forward to hosting the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in 2022, on behalf of Africa. We will work on making it a radical turning point in international action on climate, in partnership with all parties, for the benefit of our continent and the entire world.

Thank You.”