Egypt's Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, chaired the 18th Board of Trustees meeting of the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) on Monday, ahead of her upcoming appointment as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The meeting, held at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, brought together senior Arab officials and international partners. Among the attendees were Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli—who co-chaired the meeting—UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Amna Al-Dahak, Yemen's Minister of Water and Environment Tawfiq Al-Sharjabi, and representatives from Jordan, Bahrain, the Arab League, the Islamic Development Bank, the University of Malta, and various UN programs. Egypt was also represented by Ali Abu Senna, CEO of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency. In her remarks, Fouad, who also serves as Deputy Chair of the SIDAR Board, commended Saudi Arabia's robust technical and financial support to CEDARE, calling it a "model for institutional revitalization." She expressed hope that this successful approach could be replicated in other regional organizations, such as the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA). She also praised Khaled Fahmy—CEDARE's interim Executive Director and former Egyptian Environment Minister—for his leadership in revitalizing the center's operations in recent months. Fouad underscored the need for CEDARE to continue aligning with Arab environmental priorities in the face of intensifying regional challenges. Fouad highlighted the strategic importance of Europe's involvement in CEDARE, urging member states to leverage recent political momentum following key climate milestones: Egypt's presidency of COP27, the UAE's leadership at COP28, and Saudi Arabia's forthcoming role as host of COP16 under the UNCCD. She noted that these events provide Arab countries with a timely opportunity to transform climate risks into development opportunities. Addressing the region's most critical environmental threats, she pointed to water scarcity and food insecurity—both exacerbated by climate change. She emphasized the potential of circular economy approaches, developed in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, to address these concerns through more efficient water use, waste management, and renewable energy adoption. Fouad called for a full strategic and administrative restructuring of CEDARE to enhance its effectiveness and responsiveness. She encouraged greater involvement from the private sector, viewing it as a key stakeholder in advancing regional sustainability. Concluding her speech, she thanked colleagues at CEDARE and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, noting this would be her final participation in the meeting as minister before assuming her UN leadership role. In his address, Saudi Minister Al-Fadhli echoed the call for reform, emphasizing the need to redefine CEDARE's mission, strengthen its administrative and financial systems, and enhance its role in fostering Arab-European cooperation on environmental governance. He also highlighted regional sustainability efforts, including the Saudi-led Middle East Green Initiative and recent major UN climate conferences hosted in the region. CEDARE Executive Director Khaled Fahmy congratulated Fouad on her new appointment, reaffirming the center's commitment to fulfilling its mandate amid shifting regional needs. He welcomed ongoing discussions on institutional reforms, strategic planning, and building partnerships with academia and the private sector. During the session, Egypt's representative to the Arab League, Mahmoud Fathallah, presented a proposal to enhance regional collaboration on circular economy frameworks. Eng. Samah Saleh, Head of CEDARE's Sustainable Development Unit, underscored the urgency of improving resource efficiency in response to mounting environmental and economic pressures. The Board of Trustees approved a one-year extension of its current term and reviewed key financial and institutional reports. Discussions focused on governance reforms, partnership development, and setting strategic priorities for CEDARE's next phase.
