Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the president-designate of the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC-COP27), and Patricia Espinoza, Executive Secretary of the UN on Climate Change, signed the Country Host Agreement for COP27 scheduled to be held in Sharm El Sheik from 6 to 18 November 2022. During his visit to Bonn, Germany, Shoukry met on Wednesday with members of the Group of 77 and China, amid their participation in the 56th session of the subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC. Ambassador Ahmed Hafez, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Shoukry said, during his meeting with the Group of 77 and China, Egypt appreciates the important role played by the Group to look into the concerns of developing countries in the climate change negotiations. He looked forward to the Group's support to Egypt, as Chair of the COP27, to create a climate of confidence among the various parties involved in climate action in a manner that would contribute to the success of the conference. The minister also hosted a meeting of the heads of the different geographical and political groups in the climate change negotiations, where he was keen to hear their views, priorities and concerns on various topics related to the functioning of the international climate. He stressed the importance of taking into account the interests and concerns of all parties involved in the work of the international climate and taking them into account for the success of COP27. During the two meetings, Minister Shoukry also reviewed the priorities of the upcoming Egyptian presidency of COP27, foremost among them the implementation of the climate pledges and the emergence of a balanced outcome that addresses various priority issues, especially emission reduction, adaptation to climate change, addressing loss and damage, and providing climate finance. He also explained the desire of the upcoming Egyptian presidency of the Conference to distance climate negotiations from the recent geopolitical developments on the international scene, in a way that strengthens confidence between all parties to the negotiations and ensures the proper conduct of the negotiating process to produce the expected results. The Foreign Minister also stressed Egypt's aspiration for high-level participation by heads of state and government in the summit hosted by the President of the Republic during the conference on November 7 and 8, 2022, He also expressed Egypt's aspiration for the participation of all States and parties concerned with climate action in all the events of the conference, in a manner that confirms the great importance that the international community continues to attach to the fight against climate change amid various successive international developments. Shoukry met earlier on Wednesday the African Climate Change Negotiator Group, in conjunction with the UNFCCC and members of civil society groups accredited as observers to the UNFCCC. During the meetings, Minister Shoukry noted Egypt's keenness to raise African concerns on the issue of climate change at the top of the agenda of this session. He pointed out that the African continent is the party most affected by the negative repercussions of climate change despite being the least contributor to the emissions, noting in this regard the difficulties that African countries still face in obtaining climate finance to deal with these repercussions. Shoukry also stressed the importance of reviewing the vision of the Egyptian presidency of COP27, noting the keenness of the Egyptian presidency to achieve consensus among the various parties concerned with the work of the international climate, especially with regard to the issues of adaptation to climate change, mitigation of its negative repercussions, treatment of losses and damages, and provision of climate finance. Minister Shoukry stressed that the upcoming Egyptian presidency of the Conference of the Parties attaches priority to the implementation of climate pledges and their transformation into reality on the ground, both in terms of meeting nationally determined contributions and implementing the commitments and pledges made by the various parties concerned with climate action.
