ABDIJAN. The UN Climate Change High Level Champion for Egypt, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin has said that UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh (COP27) will focus on Africa priority issues, where African initiatives addressing climate change challenges will be announced.
Mohieldin remarks came during his participation on Tuesday in Africa CEO Forum held in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, in attendance of Dr Rania Almashat, Minister of International Cooperation.
Mohieldin emphasized that Africa determines to show its leadership in climate action through showcasing its contributions to global movement to tackle climate change, its role in facilitating and mobilizing action at scale, its vision for a just and sustainable future to its people and to the wider global population.
He added that COP27 is an opportunity to highlight the special needs and circumstances for the African continent, stressing that Africa must balance the need to combat climate change with an urgency to develop the continent’s economies in order to alleviate food insecurity and poverty, as well as achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Climate Champion said that Africa needs just and pragmatic transition that balances its historically low emissions and sustainable development aspirations.
The African countries priorities – according to Mohieldin – focuses on putting adaptation and resilience on an equal footing with mitigation, cooperating with private sector in building capacity in climate change action throughout society, pursuing the win-win opportunity of rapidly deploying the global carbon market, while helping Africa enter this market.
Mohieldin said that Africa has an abundance of natural capital (forests, land, oceans) which can attract investment and there is the opportunity to leap over old industrialized technologies.
He explained that the incoming Egyptian presidency of COP27 together with UN Regional Economic Commissions are pleased to launch a series of five regional forums on Climate Projects, including the Africa Regional Forum on Climate Projects which aims to accelerate public and private investment mobilization and implementation in an effective way around concrete projects. Mohieldin encouraged private sector and financial institutions in Africa to take part actively in the forum with the aim of meeting the needs of Africa in addressing climate change as well as narrows current climate finance gap.
Regarding COP27, Mohieldin said that Egypt aspires that the conference will be an important milestone in this decisive decade for climate action through undertaking urgent, ambitious, impactful, and transformative agenda, guided by a holistic approach to sustainable development, based upon the principle of equity and informed by science.
“In light of the goals and objectives of the Convention and Paris Agreement, and building on the outcomes of previous UNFCCC COPs, we will promote a stronger focus on implementation, transforming commitments into actions and translating the pledges of the summits into solutions in the field.” Mohieldin added.
“While acknowledging the complexities of the different political, economic and developmental challenges, it is incumbent on us all to raise the threshold for needed action at COP27.” The climate champion concluded.
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