Egypt's Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, delivered a keynote address on behalf of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025. The high-level forum convened government representatives, international financial institutions, civil society groups, researchers, and private sector stakeholders to chart the future of ocean conservation. In her address, Minister Fouad conveyed President Al-Sisi's greetings and underscored the conference's role as a vital platform for safeguarding natural resources and securing a sustainable future for current and future generations. She highlighted the interconnected nature of environmental challenges in 2025—citing sea-level rise as a manifestation of climate change, coral bleaching as an indicator of biodiversity loss, and the mounting threat of plastic pollution to marine ecosystems and coastal communities. Fouad reiterated Egypt's commitment to multilateral environmental action, outlining a series of national initiatives: the construction of over 70 km of nature-based coastal defences across five governorates; the rehabilitation of northern lakes to support fishing communities; the greening of key ports such as Port Said and Damietta; and a temporary ban on fishing in the Red Sea to enable ecosystem recovery. She also announced a landmark cabinet decision to enforce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for single-use plastic bags in the coming days—a significant step in Egypt's efforts to address plastic pollution ahead of the INC5.2 negotiations for a global plastics treaty. Additional commitments include Egypt's signing of a marine biodiversity protection agreement and the integration of biodiversity goals into its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in preparation for COP30. Fouad revealed plans to expand Egypt's protected areas from 15% to 22% of its territory, including a formal proposal to designate the Red Sea coral reef region as a protected marine zone. A comprehensive national strategy for the blue economy is also due to be finalised by November 2025, with a strong focus on social equity. She affirmed Egypt's ongoing leadership in global environmental diplomacy, noting the country's upcoming presidency of COP24 under the Barcelona Convention. "This will demonstrate how 22 countries sharing the same marine resources can put forward ambitious, actionable goals," she stated. On the sidelines of UNOC3, Minister Fouad participated in a high-level session commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Convention. Co-hosted by France, Spain, and Slovenia, the event featured senior figures including UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen and environment ministers from Italy, Cyprus, Morocco, Croatia, and Montenegro. Chairing the session, titled "50 Years of UNEP's Mediterranean Action Plan: Success Stories and Added Value", Fouad spotlighted achievements in regional cooperation over the past five decades. She encouraged participating ministers to share national and cross-border initiatives that have advanced pollution control, biodiversity protection, and climate resilience across the Mediterranean. She also led discussions on strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms under the Barcelona Convention framework and called for concrete action towards achieving the 30×30 target—protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030—and advancing implementation of the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.
