Egypt's Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad met with Fatih Birol — the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (AEA) — to discuss bilateral cooperation and the agency's participation in COP 27, which Egypt will host in November. The meeting was held on Tuesday on the side-lines of the Egypt Petroleum Show (EGYPS 2022). According to a statement by the Ministry of Environment, Fouad said that cooperation between the two sides should include providing technical support and expertise in energy transformation. Fouad also confirmed that Egypt is fully prepared to receive and host the United Nations' Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, noting that the country has a national strategy to effectively address the effects and repercussions of climate change and is working to modernise and develop its nationally determined contributions to reduce emissions. She also explained that the state is working on developing renewable energy and has a green hydrogen strategy led by the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy. Furthermore, she expressed the state's intention to launch one or two initiatives pertaining to transitioning to a green economy and explored the possibility of developing them by having the agency provide technical support and expertise. Fouad also stated that Egypt aims to implement the decisions made in COP 26 that was held in Glasgow to achieve adaptation goals and work to support developing countries in Africa with the support of developed countries through financing. For his part, Birol expressed the agency's readiness to assist Egypt in organizing and hosting COP 27 and providing technical support and expertise in issues related to the energy sector.
