During a joint event sponsored by the Foreign Minister, President of COP27, and the US Climate Envoy, John Kerry, announced the establishment of the Cairo Centre for Learning and Excellence on Adaptation and Resilience.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, President of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), participated on Friday, November 11, in a special event on accelerating adaptation efforts in Africa under the joint Egyptian-American sponsorship, and in the presence of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, and the Coordinator of the African Adaptation Initiative and former High Representative of the President of the Republic of Mali for Climate, along with representatives of some of the world’s largest private sector companies.
Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid indicated that Minister Shoukry referred, during his speech, to the announcement of the establishment of the “Cairo Centre for Learning and Excellence on Adaptation and Resilience” in partnership with the US, with the aim of making the centre an international institution in the field of training, capacity building and exchanging experiences and knowledge, expressing the aspiration for the support of all countries and partners in this regard.
The Foreign Minister also expressed appreciation for the constructive efforts of the US over the past year that resulted in the announcement of this centre, which demonstrates the joint commitment of Egypt and the US to the issue of adaptation to climate change in Africa, in a manner that embodies COP27’s message that is represented in implementing climate pledges and commitments.
Ambassador Abu Zeid added that US Envoy Kerry praised the joint sponsorship with Egypt of this event, outlining the financial support package announced by President Biden today in his speech during the conference, which comprised $150 million to support efforts to adapt to climate change in Africa, including $10 million for the Cairo Centre, and $25 million for the initiative of adaptation in Africa adopted by the African Union (AU), as well as financing a number of other programs to address climate change in Africa.
The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson concluded his remarks by noting that the Egyptian-American cooperation to establish this centre comes in line with what President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced during his speech before the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit on November 7 regarding the need to strengthen cooperation between the countries of the North and the countries of the South in the field of international climate action, including the field of promoting adaptation to climate change.
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