Day: October 4, 2022

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the President Designate of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), expressed hope on Monday 3/10/2022 that the global conference would come up with results that meet the aspirations of all peoples as regards facing climate change-related challenges.

Shoukry made the remarks during his intensified meetings on the fringes of the Pre-COP, a preparatory ministerial meeting held a month before COP27 that will be hosted by the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

Ahead of the preparatory meeting, Shoukry met with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde in the presence of DRC’s environment minister Ève Bazaiba Masudi, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

The foreign minister also held talks with UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group Amina Mohammed, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Patricia Espinosa, European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.

Shoukry also met with French Minister of Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Russian Special Presidential Representative on Climate Issues Ruslan Edelgeriev, Zambian Minister of Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu, and Climate Envoy of the Netherlands Jaime de Bourbon de Parme.

During the meetings, the foreign minister called for implementing climate pledges on the ground, reducing emissions, adapting to the effects of climate change, dealing with the loss and damage caused by climate change, and providing appropriate financing to face climate change-related challenges through COP27.

Shoukry also emphasized the importance of serious work during the current preparatory meeting in Kinshasa in order to help achieve convergence of negotiating positions during the forthcoming climate event.

Source: State Information Service Egypt

Al Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El Tayyeb offered his heartfelt condolences to Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and people for the victims of Saturday’s football stadium crush.

According to a statement released on Monday 3/10/2022, Tayyeb expressed his solidarity with Indonesia after this tragedy, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.

At least 174 people were reportedly trampled to death and hundreds injured in the stampede at an Indonesian Premier League game that has become one of the world’s worst stadium disasters.

The tragedy took place after police tear-gassed fans who invaded the pitch.

Source: State Information Service Egypt

Minister of International Cooperation Rania El Mashat met on Tuesday 4-10-2022  with Senior Minister in the Singapore Cabinet Tharman Shanmugaratnam on means of boosting joint cooperation as well as Egypt’s preparations for hosting the UN Climate Conference (COP27).

The meeting was held on the fringe of Mashat’s participation in an international conference titled for “the Transition Finance Towards Net Zero (TFNZ) Conference” which was inaugurated earlier in the day in Singapore.

During the meeting, Mashat reviewed the efforts exerted by Egypt to push the international community to move towards the phase of implementing climate pledges at the local and international levels.

She also underlined the state’s efforts to launch a national strategy on climate change 2050 as well as the program titled Egypt Country Platform for NWFE (Nexus on Food, Energy and Water) to propel transition towards green economy.

Mashat said the Ministry of International Cooperation launched NWFE program, which provides opportunities for mobilizing finance and private investments to support Egypt’s green transition, contribute to international efforts aimed at reducing emissions along with backing the technological transfer in the field of combating the impact of climate change.

TFNZ conference is organized by The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), together with knowledge partners McKinsey & Company and Convergence Blended Finance, and supported by the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). The conference provides a platform to galvanise key public and private sector stakeholders to mobilise capital at scale to help economies and corporates decarbonise.

The conference focused on the theme of scaling “blended finance” which involves the use of concessional and catalytic capital to draw in private capital at commercial rates for financing projects with sustainable outcomes.

Concessional capital refers to financing that offers more favourable terms than commercial capital, e.g. grants, technical assistance, debt at below-market rates, to reduce overall risk in the project.

Source: State Information Service Egypt

Social Solidarity Minister Nivine el Kabbag decided to disburse an urgent aid of EGP 25,000 to the family of a schoolgirl, who were killed when a staircase at El Moatamadeyah Preparatory School for Girls in Kerdasa district partially collapsed on Sunday.

The incident also left 15 schoolgirls injured.

The minister, meanwhile, also decided to disburse an aid of EGP 5,000 to each of those injured, who stayed in the hospital for more than 24 hours.

The minister also issued directives to the social solidarity directorate in Giza to intensify efforts to help the families of the schoolgirls and provide the necessary support to the families of the injured.

Additionally, the minister followed up on the incident of the death of second grade student in primary school, who fell off the third floor of Sayed el Shuhadaa public primary school in Agouza district on Monday.

The minister also directed to disburse an urgent aid of EGP 25,000 to the family of the schoolgirl.

The minister extended deepest condolences to the families of the two schoolgirls, praying to Allah Almighty to extend His mercy and forgiveness to the two students.

Source: State Information Service Egypt

Egypt has won the membership of the Administrative Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for Africa from 2023-2026, after being re-elected to the membership of the ITU Council in the elections that took place during the activities of the Plenipotentiary Conference organized by the International Telecommunication Union in the Romanian capital Bucharest during the period from September 26 to October 14 with the participation of more than 180 countries.

The Plenipotentiary Conference is the official meeting of the highest body of the ITU. Held every four years, ITUPP is the key event at which ITU Member States decide on the future role of the organization, thereby determining the organization’s ability to influence and affect the development of ICTs worldwide. ITUPP sets the Union’s general policies; adopts four-year strategic and financial plans; and elects the senior management team of the organization (the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the directors of ITU sectors’ bureaus), the Member States of the Council and the members of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB).

An Egyptian high-level delegation headed by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat participated in the activities of the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union in Romania over two days.

Source: State Information Service Egypt