Egypt’s Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad met on Thursday with Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group Amina Mohamed to discuss Egypt’s preparations to host the COP27 climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh in November. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. “During its presidency of the conference, Egypt seeks to build on the outcomes of the Glasgow Conference (COP26) and to achieve more progress in the decisions reached,” Fouad said in remarks following the meeting. With regard to Africa, the minister pointed to the need to adhere to the two African initiatives for renewable energy, which she said require the provision of funds and innovative ideas to guarantee more protection for societies in areas such as coastal zone management, food systems and agriculture. She stressed that discussions on climate change were closely linked to the topics of biodiversity and desertification, pointing to the remarkable progress achieved by Africa in this regard. “However, more efforts should be deployed in several areas such as sustainable land management, food and agriculture, which directly affect the people’s lives,” Fouad emphasized. The minister underlined the Egyptian experience in recycling agricultural waste, implementing biogas units, and helping farmers recycle their waste to obtain clean energy and provide a source of livelihood and job opportunities. She pointed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s directives to involve the youth in the conference by providing them with a space to present their ideas and models of entrepreneurship, as well as their activities and projects from around the world. A statement by the minister quoted the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohamed, as looking forward to the upcoming COP27 climate conference as it would reflect the important role assumed by Egypt in leading the environmental agenda. She also stressed the importance of working to increase climate finance and collective cooperation to save the planet, and to encourage bank financing of climate projects.