CPH Post - 2022 Egypt Supplement

EGYPT

Loss and Damage financing is part of the COP Agenda for the first time ever – now is the moment for nations to move on from pledges and promises to meaningful action. Our current geopolitical challenges must not derail or delay action to meet climate targets.

While it’s true we are witnessing political turmoil that has cast a long shadow over all of our nations, resulting in energy and food crises, these challenges should not be a reason for delaying our collective effort to fight climate change.

Aggravating economic and geopolitical factors, and other external circumstances, should not be allowed to negatively affect the negotiating process. It is of paramount importance for us all in Sharm El Sheikh to demonstrate our recognition of the magnitude of the challenges we face and our steadfast resolve to overcome them.

Egypt is accordingly making sure that its COP provides the optimum setting to align and converge multiple views, whilst facilitating transparent, inclusive and fruitful discussion to ensure the most positive outcome achievable.

As a COP hosted in Africa, it must consider the needs of developing countries and ensure climate justice through appropriate financing, or other means of implementation, as it is the countries least responsible for emissions that are most affected by climate change.

We are happy that Loss and Damage funding, for the first time since the adoption of the UN Climate Convention, has been installed as an agenda item. This followed a year-long effort that culminated in 48 hours of continuous informal consultations led by the Egyptian COP Presidency on the eve of the summit.

More than 50,000 attendees are registered and expected to participate at COP27’s Blue Zone, as well as thousands of others in the Green Zone. The Egyptian Presidency has designated several key thematic days, including pledging opportunities, discussions, roundtables and side-events.

The thematic days are part of efforts to advance climate action that can address existing implementation bottlenecks and gaps and deepen engagement with youth, women, civil society and indigenous people.

We are looking to co-operate together for the success of the summit through the many roundtables led and attended by multiple world leaders focused on six key topics: Just Transitions; Food Security, Innovative Finance for Climate and Development; Investing in the Future of Energy; Water Security and Climate Change; and The Sustainability of Vulnerable Communities

COP27 President & Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt HE Sameh Shoukry

COP27, the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference hosted by Egypt in Sharm El Sheikh from 7-18 November 2022, involves delegates from all over the world participating in the annual climate change negotiations including, of course, Denmark, our Champions on Mitigation.

We are very proud to be hosting this important and timely summit where more than 90 heads of state will gather, along with an estimated 40,000 attendees from all over the world, presided over by the organisers and the Secretary General of the United Nations.

This year witnesses the biggest ever Danish participation in any of the COP summits since their inception 26 years ago, with over 300 individuals and more than 24 Danish companies expected to attend. We always remember very fondly that we started the road between Glasgow and Sharm from Copenhagen in May 2022.

The Egyptian Embassy in Copenhagen is extremely honored to have been part of the process of building up this biggest ever Danish participation in close coordination with State of Green, COWI, Dansk Industri and many of the other participating stakeholders, as well as the Danish Embassy in Cairo.

It’s worth highlighting that it was Copenhagen where the President Designate met with representatives of Danish youth and civil society and embraced their aspirations and challenges, thus leading to the dedication of three days of the conference to issues relevant to youth, future generations, gender and civil society.

Africa is perhaps the most affected and devastated

continent when it comes to the negative impact of climate change, and our contribution as a continent to the predicament of the world is quite minimal, if not negligible. So it is a whole set-up that lacks justice.

As the incoming presidency, we have an obligation to be impartial about the implementation of any binding agreements, but we also have a strong conviction to provide the necessary momentum to bring about the required actions for urgent, at-scale climate commitments and pledges: namely climate justice.

On the sidelines of the global negotiations set to take place in Egypt during the conference, the COP27 Egyptian Presidency has designated several key thematic days, including panel pledging opportunities, discussions, roundtables, initiatives and side events.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming all our guests to Egypt along with showcasing what we’ve achieved and what we are aspiring to create: an enabling environment conducive to successful negotiations and results, which will lead to a just and scientific implementation of what was agreed upon in Rio through Paris and Glasgow on the road to Sharm El Sheikh.

Again, we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to Egypt – the giſt of the Nile, the cradle of civilizations where it all began – to ensure that all global concerns are prioritised, but with a special impetus on the continent.

Mohamed Karim Sherif Ambassador of Egypt in Copenhagen

History beckons for Sharm El-Sheikh

SERIOUS INROADS ARE EXPECTED AT THE 27TH EDITION OF THE UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE, WITH LOSS AND DAMAGE FINANCING AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA

Since Sunday November 6, the most influential people in the world have been converging on the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27, the 27th edition of the annual UN Climate Change Conference, which continues until November 18.

They include US President Joe Biden and Special Climate Envoy John Kerry, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (see page 10), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British PM Riki Sunak and former PM Boris Johnson, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre, among many others.

The choice of Sharm El-Sheikh is apt given one of the conference’s main focuses this year: namely the plight of developing countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change, who did not benefit from the rapid industrialisation that caused it in the first place.

Not only is it in Egypt, a country in transition from developing to developed status (see pages 14-15), but it is also by the sea: the source of some of the worst effects of climate change seen by countries such as those in the Alliance of Small Island States (see pages 10-11).

Unaddressed, the consequences of climate change pose a lethal threat to the citizens of these countries and their hopes of upward mobility on the world stage, It requires more to follow the lead of Denmark, which in September became the first UN country to pledge ‘loss and damage’ – some 100 million US dollars – to compensate those worst affected.

For two weeks, Sharm El-Sheikh will become an epicentre of hope, progress, and collaboration on these countries' behalf and the world's. Aſter all, without radical action, nobody will be able to escape the wrath of a climate catastrophe.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

There could not be a better host city for COP27 than Sharm El-Sheikh, as the city itself epitomises green innovation and transformation, and in preparation for the conference, Egypt amped up efforts to transform it. In addition to discussing policies and promises at COP27, those in attendance will take home inspiration from a city that showcases how a more climate-conscious future might look.

"More than 35,000 visitors are expected to arrive at Sharm el-Sheikh, including heads of state, delegations, and representatives of major companies and civil society organisations. Egypt wants to show the world a green city from entry to exit," said the former Egyptian Environment Minister, Magdi Allam.

In June, Sharm El-Sheikh was officially declared by the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, in league with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the United Nations Development Program, a ‘Green City’. The city's transformation involved many different strategies working in unison.

Green energy is now used more universally, and many new energy projects have been established to support that transition – the city's solar energy capacity will be increased more than threefold. The government also worked to

WHAT IS A COP?

The first United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in 1995 in Berlin. The word COP is derived from ‘Conference of the Parties’ – the stakeholders determined to stop irreversible climate change.

Since 1995, COPs have been held annually as a means of accelerating action to get runaway climate change under control. Since their creation, climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority, but the urgency to act never diminishes.

The main focus of the COPs is to establish legally binding obligations for countries to reduce their emissions. Most UN members are represented at the summits, where anything from 40,000 to 100,000 delegates routinely gather.

The last COP, in November 2021, took place in Glasgow. All countries present agreed to work together to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees and aim for 1.5 degrees, along with pledging the necessary funds to make this happen.

They also made financing pledges, and COP27 aims to take this one step further with a Loss and Damage agreement –future payments made by developed countries to those least responsible for emissions, which tend to be the most affected by climate change.

Copenhagen hosted COP15 in December 2009.

The traditional 'Family Photo' on Day One of COP27 on November 7

encourage investment to preserve the surrounding ecosystems. Egypt has successfully worked with the private sector to combat climate change.

Crucial to the transition has been the adoption of sustainable accommodation, energy, tourism, transportation and waste management practices. The conference itself is similarly ambitious, promising an utterly carbon-neutral affair.

A fleet of 260 electric and natural gas buses will ferry participants around the city. Hotels have been made more eco-friendly, with 22 already having been awarded international certificates recognising them as green star hotels. Some 64 others are in the process of receiving the same certification. Measures like not distributing singleuse plastics and opting for greener alternatives help make the conference more environmentally- friendly. Steps have also been taken to make the construction and logistical aspects more sustainable.

STRATEGIC POSITION

The geographic location of Sharm El-Sheikh may also prove conducive to a more productive conference. It is surrounded by beautiful and impressive landscapes that will help to convey the importance of progress – a constant reminder of what is at stake if inaction continues to be the primary course of action.

More importantly, however, the city, seated in northern Africa, will help to keep the focus on developing countries. Africa and the global south will suffer the consequences of climate change most acutely and immediately.

The conference is located in Africa, instead of comfortably in Paris or Glasgow, which will help to keep this concern at the front of everyone's mind.

PRESSING CONCERNS

The mass coming together that is COP27 is a source of hope for a better future – or any future. It is crucial, though, to reflect on why such a conference is necessary – why each year the stakes are higher than the last, and why the need for action is more important now than ever. Egypt is a country that understands the risk complacency poses. It faces a future in which it will no doubt have to contend with water scarcity, droughts, and rising sea levels.

"No country and no economy is immune from the climate crisis," said UN secretary general Antonio Guterres (see page 10). "While climate chaos gallops ahead, climate action has stalled."

All around the world, catastrophe has become the status quo. A third of Pakistan was recently flooded. In California, the haze and smoke of massive wildfires have become a fact of life. In eastern Africa, famine has been fast-tracked by droughts. Another vicious hurricane recently battered the Philippines, while in America, Katrina is a distant memory drowned out by the countless storms since. This year, Europe faced its hottest summer in 500 years – an anomaly it may one day look back on wistfully. However, reform has been relatively modest.

"Climate change and its disastrous effects have become our constant companion, our constant threat, and our constant worry. Our very survival has never been so threatened. It's time to turn things around," said UN climate change secretary Simon Stiell.

"Let's put it another way. If we don't act now – all nations, all people, in all sectors – the climate horror show we're seeing now will be but a preview of what's to come."

TIME TO ACT

The question then becomes: what can the world do to meet these challenges? COP27 outlines four key focus points – mitigation, adaptation, loss-anddamage financing and collaboration resulting in tangible agreements – that will, in turn, make up the agenda for the conference.

Mitigation strategies are perhaps the most optimistic of the outlined objectives or the most technically difficult to address. However, it is an optimism that humanity must realise to give the world a chance of a bright future. The primary concern is keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius by a healthy margin. Ideally, the world would be able to avoid exceeding the target of 1.5, as failure to prevent a 2-degree rise would be catastrophic.

"The actions of the wealthiest developed and emerging economies simply don't add up," said Gutteres, emphasising that current pledges and policies are making the 2-degree goal harder to meet. "The world can't wait. Emissions are at an all-time high and rising".

Denmark and, recently, Egypt exemplify the bold plans and actions needed to mitigate. Denmark has set a goal to reduce emissions by 2030, as compared to 1990 levels, and to achieve climate-neutrality by 2050.

Denmark is a leader on issues of climate because it sets lofty goals and then sets about trying to achieve them. Some of those actions include shifting financial flow from fossil fuels and other similar industries to green alternatives and co-operating with the private sector

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the 'Top Table'

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with French President Emmanuel Macron

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with British PM Riki Sunak

on sustainable and renewable solutions. An underlying motive behind all of the work Denmark does with regard to climate action is its goal to increase global climate ambitions.

Egypt is one of the countries that appear to be picking up what Denmark is putting down. The country's National Climate Change Strategy has similar ambitions to Denmark's. With encouragement and incentives from the government, the private sector in Egypt is doing its part to boost adaptation and sustainability efforts. As Egypt looks to become a power in the world energy arena, it is heavily prioritising renewable energy. The emergence of cities like Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt underlines the country’s dedication to the cause – a cause that is so important.

"We are in a life-or-death struggle for our own safety today and our survival tomorrow," said Guterres.

LOSS AND DAMAGE

The most critical and novel issue discussed at the conference is loss and damage financing. The basic principle behind loss and damage financing is that the countries that are hit hardest by climate change are the ones that have contributed the least to the problem. It is therefore imperative that wealthy nations pay for the damage they cause.

It is estimated that developing countries, mainly concentrated in the global south, will incur damages ranging from 290 to 580 billion dollars. Take the flood in Pakistan, for example: it's still early days, but the minimum cost of that disaster is 10 billion dollars.

Loss and Damages is an issue of climate justice. It is a means for the hardest-hit countries to recoup some of what they lost and assuage the pain of what can never be replaced. On top of all the physical damage it wreaks on the world, climate change is also becoming a mechanism that reinforces the global world order. Constantly rebuilding makes it impossible for developing nations to aspire to anything greater.

DANES TAKING THE LEAD

In a move that has set the table for serious COP27 discussions concerning loss and damage financing, Denmark recently became the first EU country to direct funds to earmarked loss and damage to countries that have suffered.

"It is grossly unfair that the world's poorest should suffer the most from the consequences of climate change, to which they have contributed the least," said the Danish Development Minister, Flemming Møller Mortensen.

Denmark's nearly 100 million kroner ($13 million) contribution is the most significant donation yet. Scotland (a non-EU country) was the first government to contribute to a loss and damage fund. Other wealthy nations, such as the US, hesitate or refuse to participate in such actions – most probably because they worry that financial commitment may imply legal liability for the destruction caused by climate change.

PUT IT IN WRITING

The main objective of any conference like this one is to begin meaningful pledges and agreements that stand the test of time and effect real change. Egypt hopes that, as the host nation, it can push through some tangible commitments on loss and damage. As a developing nation on the continent of Africa, Egypt is well positioned to act decisively on behalf of other developing countries.

"Vulnerable countries will be hoping these talks are fruitful, as they did not leave Glasgow with 'any amount of satisfaction' on loss and damage," contended Wael Aboulmagd, Egyptian Ambassador and Special Representative of the COP27 President.

"We all have a collective obligation to ensure that this issue is addressed, and particularly the funding side of it."

COP27 President Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

Seize your destiny, Egypt!

IN A RECENT ADDRESS IN CAIRO, JOHN KERRY, THE US SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE, LET IT BE KNOWN TO THE HOSTS OF COP27 THAT THEY HAVE THE CHANCE TO BE THE NATION THAT RESCUES CIVILIZATION

the climate crisis a top priority. He rejoined the Paris Agreement on Day One and set an ambitious NDC target. He passed a $1.2 billion Infrastructure Bill. And this summer, he signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the most important climate legislation in United States history.

This is the single largest investment and most significant legislation for climate and clean energy solutions in US history, and it will position America to achieve President Biden’s bold goals.

At COP 26, recognising the importance of climate adaptation, President Biden released his Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, PREPARE, which aims to help more than half a billion people in developing countries adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change by 2030.

PROGRESS IN AFRICA

In Africa, with the world’s fastest growing populations and fastest growing economies, adaptation is lives saved and jobs created, and it’s also common sense. Roads, bridges and ports can only spur economic growth and reduce poverty next year if they are built for a growing and warming world.

record, but only one-third of what we need to meet our 2030 goals.

We need public dollars and development finance to catalyse private investment in clean and climate resilient technologies.

EGYPT LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Our Egyptian hosts are developing a new model to do just that. Through their ‘Country Platform for NWFE Program’, Egypt is identifying priority climate investment areas and working with partners to develop bankable programs. In total, this has the potential to attract billions in investments from donor governments, philanthropy, development finance institutions, and the private sector – it’s exactly the kind of innovative thinking we need.

And in addition to financing solar and wind farms and retiring coal plants, we also need capital to invest in innovation to scale and bring the next generation of technologies to market.

JOHN KERRY US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate

US SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE

I know Egypt is often referred to as ‘Mother of the World’, the place that established much of our early civilization. Now, as we approach COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, you have a chance to be the nation that helps rescue civilization and to protect it for many generations to come.

STAYING COMMITTED

Those, my friends, are the stakes. This fight is existential — it is about the very future of our civilization. Which is why, this fall and beyond, we must do everything in our power to give life to the Glasgow Climate Pact.

As you put it in Egypt, this will be an “Implementation COP” — and, as I have described it, we need to pursue an “Implementation…Plus” approach.

What does this mean? It means delivering on existing commitments, strengthening commitments that are not strong enough, plus creating new commitments and efforts where none exist.

CLEAR FAILURES

Despite our progress, we all know that much more needs to be done. We aren’t doing enough on mitigation or adaptation.

On mitigation, despite significant progress,

we are behind in our efforts to do what the science tells us we need to do to keep 1.5 degrees alive. In 2021, the world used 9 percent more coal than in 2020, with nearly 300GW of new coal power in the construction pipeline. And many key emitters have not yet strengthened their NDCs per the Glasgow Climate Pact.

And, in terms of adaptation, we are seeing impacts in every country in the world: China is in the middle of the worst drought on record — the Yangtze River, the longest in Asia, is at its lowest level in history. Europe is in the middle of its worst drought in 500 years — you can now walk across the Rhine River. In the US alone this year there have been nine — nine! — climate impacts that cost more than $1 billion.

Here in Africa, you see the urgency of this moment. Some 17 of the world’s 20 most climate vulnerable countries are on this continent. This year has seen devastating floods in South Africa, Mozambique, and Uganda kill hundreds and displace tens of thousands. Meanwhile, the Horn of Africa is in its fourth year of drought, with more than 18 million suffering food insecurity as a result.

TOP PRIORITY IN THE US

So what is the United States doing about it?

President Biden has made addressing

Next week I’ll be traveling to Nigeria and then Senegal, where I will attend the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) alongside many of you.

I am going to hear from African ministers firsthand about their key priorities and concerns, including in relation to adaptation and finance. And we will have much more to say about adaptation and the United States’ work to support it.

WE NEED 4 TRILLION A YEAR!

Now, let me turn to the incredibly important issue of finance.

First, we remain strongly committed to the goal of mobilising $100 billion annually for developing country mitigation and adaptation. President Biden has requested $11 billion for climate finance in his budget request to Congress for the next fiscal year. The United States will do our part to meet the $100 billion goal.

Second, we need to work with governments and the private sector to mobilise trillions of dollars to accelerate the net-zero transition as well as to advance climate resilience. It is going to take all of us, and that is why I am happy to be here in Egypt today, as you exercise your global leadership to bring together investors, multilateral development banks, philanthropists and governments to take bold action.

Here’s the bottom line: the IEA tells us we need to invest $4 trillion, every year, in this transition. No government on earth can fully fund that level of investment – we can only get there with the full participation of the private sector.

In 2021, only about $755 billion was invested globally in the energy transition – that was a

That’s why we were pleased to see Mark Carney and so many other leaders in finance step up through the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero. GFANZ represents some $130 trillion in assets and are prepared to align their capital with this transition – at the speed and scale we need.

And to deploy that money, governments are going to need to continue to work hand in hand to put together blended finance and de-risk those investments.

TIME TO STEP UP!

That is the kind of leadership and ambition we need — in the United States, Egypt and around the world.

It is a big agenda, my friends, with success measured not just this year, at COP27, but beyond – and ultimately, in whether we do achieve for future generations a safe, stable, clean planet.

Egypt understands both the devastating costs of inaction — especially to critical parts of this nation like the Nile River Delta — as well as the enormous opportunities afforded by acting: from better health and reduced pollution to overall economic development. It will be a tall task. But I know we can win this fight.

It is rare in public life to be able to make decisions that impact not just our own nations, but the fate of the planet for generations to come. Fortunately, that is nothing new for Egypt since you began our history as a civilization thousands of years ago. Today, we have a chance to build on that legacy and make a new one of our own. So let’s get to work. Thank you.

This is an extract from a speech given by John Kerry, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, at the St Regis Almasa Convention Center in Cairo on September 7. He will return to Egypt for the entirety of COP27.

Time to show some solidarity!

IN AN EARLY OCTOBER ADDRESS IN NEW YORK, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

URGED THE WORLD’S LEADING NATIONS TO STEP UP AND EASE THE BURDEN OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES STRUGGLING TO TAKE EFFECTIVE CLIMATE ACTION

Every government, every business, every investor, every institution must step up with concrete climate actions for net zero.

We also need to see meaningful progress in two other key areas: Decisions and actions to address loss and damage that are beyond countries’ abilities to adapt; and finance for climate action.

#1 LITMUS TEST

On the central question of loss and damage, we know people and nations are suffering now. They need meaningful decisions now. Failure to act on loss and damage will lead to more loss of trust and more climate damage.

This is a moral imperative that cannot be ignored and COP27 must be the place for action on loss and damage.

This is the number one litmus test of how seriously both developed and developing governments take the growing climate toll on the most vulnerable countries.

THE BANKS MUST STEP UP

This week’s pre-COP [in Kinshasa] can determine how this crucial issue will be handled in Sharm el-Shaikh. Ministers in Kinshasa must work to ensure action at COP27 – not another dead-end discussion.

FINANCE FOR ALL

Emerging economies in particular need their support to back the renewable energy revolution and build resilience.

The Resilience and Sustainability Trust led by the International Monetary Fund is a good start. But the major shareholders in the Multilateral Development Banks – the member states – must be the driving force for transformative change.

International Financial Institutions need more resources. While Small Island Developing States and other vulnerable middle-income countries need access to concessional finance for adaptation to protect their communities and infrastructure.

At the same time, international financial institutions must overhaul their business model and approach to risk. Beyond pursuing their own drop-in-the-bucket initiatives, they must intensify their efforts to leverage the necessary massive increases of private finance as first-investors and risk-takers.

ALL COUNTRIES TOGETHER

On every climate front, the only solution is decisive action in solidarity.

COP27 is the place for all countries – led by the G-20 -- to show they are in this fight and in it together. And the best way to show it is by showing up at COP 27 in Sharm el-Shaikh.

ANTÓNIO GUTERRES UN Secretary-General

On finance, the world needs clarity from developed countries on where they are this year on the delivery of their $100 billion dollars a year promise to support climate action in developing countries.

I am urging leaders at the highest level to take full part in COP 27 and tell the world what climate action they will take nationally and globally.

The work ahead is immense: as immense as the climate impacts we are seeing around the world.

A third of Pakistan flooded, Europe’s hottest summer in 500 years, the Philippines hammered, the whole of Cuba in blackout.

And here, in the United States, Hurricane Ian has delivered a brutal reminder that no country and no economy is immune from the climate crisis.

A LONG WAY SHORT

While climate chaos gallops ahead, climate action has stalled. COP27 is critical – but we have a long way to go.

Let’s be clear. The collective commitments of G20 governments are coming far too little and far too late. The actions of the wealthiest developed and emerging economies simply don’t add up.

Taken together, current pledges and policies are shutting the door on our chance to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, let alone meet the 1.5-degree goal.

We are in a life-or-death struggle for our own safety today and our survival tomorrow.

ACTION OVER ATTRIBUTION

There is no time for pointing fingers -- or twiddling thumbs. It is time for a gamechanging, quantum level compromise between developed and emerging economies. The world cannot wait.

Emissions are at an all-time high and rising. Meanwhile, the War in Ukraine is putting climate action on the backburner while our planet itself is burning.

We even see backsliding in some areas of the private sector – namely, around fossil fuels – while the most dynamic climate actors in the business world continue to be hampered by obsolete regulatory frameworks, red tape and harmful subsidies that send the wrong signals to markets.

WE NEED TO SEE PROGRESS

All of this increases the importance of my high-level group on the net zero commitments of business and others.

We need to see evidence of how they will double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion dollars in 2025, as agreed in Glasgow.

Funding for adaptation and resilience must represent at least half of all climate finance. And the Multilateral Development Banks – including the World Bank - must raise their game.

Leaders of the world can demonstrate through their presence and active participation that climate action truly is the top global priority that it must be.

Thank you.

This is an extract from a speech given by John Kerry, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, at the St Regis Almasa Convention Center in Cairo on September 7. He will return to Egypt for the entirety of COP27.

Help needed at frontline

FEW DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BENEFITED FROM THE BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS, BUT MANY HAVE BEEN LEFT TO PAY THE PRICE. IT’S TIME FOR THE CLIMATE CHANGE CULPRITS TO COMPENSATE THEM ACCORDINGLY, CONTENDS CONROD HUNTE, THE LEAD CLIMATE NEGOTIATOR OF THE ALLIANCE OF SMALL ISLAND STATES

billion dollar goal by 2025 and ensure that SIDS are prioritised in this scaling up. But it also needs to be recognised that this goal was set in Copenhagen in 2009. It cannot be expected that 13 years later, this is adequate to address the actual costs we are facing.

The deliberations on a new collective quantified goal on climate finance should be science-based and informed by the needs of developing countries.

‘LOSS AND DAMAGE’ CRUCIAL

I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to reiterate the critical need for a dedicated LOSS AND DAMAGE financing facility. At COP27, we need to move the “Glasgow Dialogue on Funding Arrangements for Loss and Damage” from conversation to formal negotiation.

The IPCC WG II report is very clear that there are already impacts from climate change that vulnerable countries such as ours cannot adapt to. We cannot ignore this issue, so neither should the agenda of these talks.

Faced year after year with severe storms and continuous sea level rise, sea warming that affects fisheries, and coastal erosion that damages property, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are already taking adaptation actions to ensure adequate drinking water, increase coastal protection and improve our security.

Yet, after every devastating hurricane season, after every disaster, our governments must jump through hoops in order to secure funding to jumpstart our islands’ recovery.

While financing does include grants, international loans account for a large chunk of it – 70 percent in 2019. I would also point out that as of last year, the least amount of GCF funding has been approved for SIDS when compared to other regions – just 4 percent of total funding.

UNSUSTAINABLE SITUATION

Developing countries are thus pushed further into debt to pay for a crisis we did not cause. This is nonsensical. It is unsustainable. We can all agree that it is wrong, and our system needs immediate transformation.

The past two decades have seen some of the worst hurricane seasons in the Caribbean and Atlantic, with the 2020 season reaching the most named storms in a single season –30 – and the 2017 season being the costliest on record, incurring more than 300 billion US dollars in damages.

In Barbuda over 90 percent of structures

were destroyed, resulting in the island being completely uninhabited for the first time in 300 years.

EVER MORE VULNERABLE

This year is predicted to be another extremely active season – the third in the last decade. The financing to address these damages does not come cheap, but we do not have a choice. GDP losses from tropical cyclones average at 3.7 percent per year. This unrelenting cycle is a drain on critical resources we need for adaptation efforts.

Our regional climate-related challenges are becoming progressively worse. The recent IPCC Sixth Assessment Report states: Above a 1.5°C rise will increase food prices, reduce household incomes, and lead to health risks of malnutrition and climate-related mortality with no or low levels of adaptation, ESPECIALLY IN TROPICAL REGIONS.

For our vulnerable SIDS, the necessary adaptation options to effectively respond to climate change impacts are severely limited by our capacity and high landed costs for technology. Our adaptation gaps are widening. We struggle to plug one hole, knowing that the floodgates are literally buckling under pressure and in the long term, will inevitably burst.

TIME TO DELIVER ON COPENHAGEN

Now, looking ahead, the special circumstances of SIDS must not be ignored. Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is advocating for the use of a multidimensional

vulnerability index to more holistically gauge a country’s evolving needs, as opposed to eligibility criterion, such as GDP per capita, which does not take our structural realities into account.

We note the successful launch of The Global Goal on Adaptation work programme this past May and look forward to its rapid establishment to enhance financial flows and better take our countries’ special considerations into account.

At COP27, AOSIS is calling on developed countries to deliver on their commitment to double adaptation finance within the 100

Ladies and gentlemen: for our exceptionally vulnerable small islands, adequate and ACCESSIBLE finance to adapt to the crushing effects of climate change and build resilience – in the form of grants and innovative measures – is the only way forward.

At COP27 we must commit to adaptation finance that will safeguard the future for SIDS.

This is an extract from a statement written by Conrod Hunte, an ambassador of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda who is the lead climate negotiator at the intergovernmental organisation Alliance of Small Island States, on June 9. He will be in Egypt for the entirety of COP27, primarily to further AOSIS members’ cause for compensation for their climate loss so they can better prepare and safeguard their homelands whilst reducing their footprint.

CONROD HUNTE

AOSIS lead climate negotiator

Senegalese President Macky Sall, the chair of the African Union, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and UN secretary-general António Guterres

Protectors against climate risk

A GLOBAL SHIELD TO PROTECT VULNERABLE NATIONS FROM THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE COULD QUICKLY BECOME A REALITY, CONTENDS JENNIFER MORGAN, GERMANY’S SPECIAL ENVOY FOR INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE ACTION, SHOULD THE G7 AND COP27 DELEGATES OFFER THEIR SUPPORT

meet these goals. With this much transparency as possible, we know that we have to do further work on this. We want to work through our G7 Presidency to show leadership and solidarity with those most vulnerable to climate change.

And we need to work jointly on practical approaches to increase adaptation funding and improve access to adaptation finance. We also recognise the need to use different types of climate finance to respond to diverse needs and priorities, and to mobilize private finance, recognizing the specific needs and support the most vulnerable countries and communities need. And we are committed to working closely together to find practical ways to address barriers in addressing climate finance.

CO-ORDINATING A GLOBAL SHIELD

On the issue of loss and damage, our aim is to foster more systematic, coherent and sustained financial protection against climate risk and to contribute to minimising, averting and addressing losses and damages from climate change.

We’re working towards a key delivery in the development track of the G7 Presidency. Our proposal to the G7 and partners is to work jointly towards establishing improved climate and disaster risk finance and insurance architecture: a Global Shield against climate risks.

relationship with the V20. In the framework of the InsuResilience Global partnership (IGP), the V20 and Germany work closely together to substantially scale up climate and disaster risk finance and insurance solutions to protect, annually, 500 million people in climate vulnerable countries by 2025.

FROM VISION TO REALITY

In a strong partnership with the V20, Germany will continue to work on enhancing the global climate and disaster risk financing architecture, also beyond the G7 Summit in June.

Since we set InsuResilience in 2017, our joint efforts under the partnership have contributed significantly to strengthening the financial resilience of vulnerable countries and communities against climate and disaster risk.

To date, development partners have supported InsuResilience with more than 1.2 billion Euros in total. Today, InsuResilience is active for 24 programs in over 100 countries. Efforts under this initiative are strongly interlinked with our agenda on anticipatory action. Together with risk financing, the instruments and approaches of anticipatory humanitarian aid need to be scaled up.

It’s a great honour to speak at this important event of the Ministers of Finance of the Climate Vulnerable Forum. The destructive impacts of the climate crisis are happening and time is running out, and you know this better than anyone else in the world.

My first foreign visit since my appointment was to Bangladesh because it was important for me to meet with the government and people on the frontline of the climate crisis in such a vulnerable country.

And I want to reaffirm Germany’s commitment to strengthening the implementation of the Paris Agreement and working to raise ambition to keep the 1.5 limit within reach.

A CRITICAL DECADE

This is the critical decade, and we must close the gap in ambition and implementation. We stand with our commitment to increase climate finance, to support adaptation and resilience, in particular to those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. And we want to move forward on these issues with our G7 Presidency.

The G7 has to lead in implementing the Glasgow Climate Pact, and this includes a strong G7 response to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their NDCs and to submit net zero long term strategies by COP27.

The G7 also needs to lead in accelerating the energy transition, phasing out coal and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, building on the COP declaration to end international public support for the fossil fuel energy sector in 2022. We’re trying to get Japan on board for this initiative.

ALIGNING WITH PARIS GOALS

Shifting investments and financial flows to align them with the Paris Agreement goals and a sustainable development pathway means integrating climate change consistently into economic and financial decision-making processes. This is a challenge we all face and it’s highly relevant for collective and individual action and support for the most vulnerable countries.

On the issue of climate finance and transparency, it is critical that we, as developed countries collectively remain fully committed to delivering on the goal to mobilise jointly a 100 billion dollar a year. We affirm the commitment to collectively at least double adaptation finance from 2019 levels to 2025, in the context of achieving that balance between mitigation and adaptation finance.

And we need to do all we can through our individual roles, in particular as G7 countries, to align portfolios of MDBs and financial institutions with the Paris Agreement goals. We want to make sure there is clarity on when and how we will

Our ambition is that the Global Shield will respond to the urgent needs of our V20 partners. We’ve heard from you that the Global Shield must, above all, focus on mobilising and building access to new financial resources and support governments in preparing the required institutions.

Also, the global shield should propel a coordinated approach to delivering international public and private sector funds for prearranged finance with speed, scale, and quality. And we’ll ensure that your positions are included in the further development of the Global Shield and we are always open for dialogue and further input.

Germany is proud to have built a strong

This year, we aim to double our contribution to anticipatory action moving forward. We believe this is the year that G7 can jointly make a significant contribution to protect the most vulnerable countries from disaster risk. And together we can turn this from a vision into reality.

Thank you.

This is an extract of an address given by Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s Special Envoy for International Climate Action, to the Vulnerable 20 Ministerial Dialogue on April 21. Together with the Chilean environment minister, Maisa Rojas, Morgan has been challenged by the organisers of COP27 to incorporate ‘loss and damage’ into the formal agenda of the negotiations. Morgan is the former executive director of Greenpeace

JENNIFER MORGAN Germany’s Special Envoy for International Climate Action

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

A new beginning

EGYPT’S

VISION 2030 PLANS, WHICH EMBRACE THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, ARE AMBITIOUS BUT ALSO REALISTIC ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

BY LOÏC PADOVANI

Launched by the Egyptian government under President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi in February 2016, Vision 2030 is an ambitious national agenda with a long-term political, social and economic outlook.

ARAB WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT

In the Arab World, Egypt is known for being the most populous country and having one of the largest economies, and Vision 30 envisaged the country growing exponentially in both respects. By 2030, its population will have risen to 122.6 million, compared to 93.8 million in 2015 – a 24 percent increase. While its economy will experience annual growth of 5-6 percent, helped by a relatively young population. In 2030, 30 percent will be under the age of 15, with a further 60 percent between the ages of 15 and 64.

This, combined with improvements in other notable pillars such as economic development, social justice, health and education, will cement Egypt’s status in 2030 as one of the world’s emerging markets – in similar fashion to how Brazil was regarded in the 2010s.

Fulfilling Vision 2030 carries big challenges, but the African country is confident it can reach its goals.

IMPROVED STANDARDS OF LIVING

For each of its 2030 targets, Egypt wants to see huge progress, and most of this success is linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS).

First and foremost, welfare, development and women’s rights are at the forefront of Vision 2030. It wants more people in work and far fewer people living in poverty – as many as 10 million, compared to 2015, with more than 3.40 US dollars a day to support themselves.

Life expectancy will accordingly increase from 71.3 to 74.0 and the under-five mortality rate fall from 22 deaths per 1,000 births to fewer than 15.

The average number of years in education is expected to rise from 7.1 in 2015 to 8.5 by 2030. Broken down, for men, this represents a rise from 7.8 to 9.0, and for women a jump from 6.5 to 8.0 as they continue to close the gap.

They are also projected to account for a larger share of the workforce. In 2015, Egypt ranked a lowly 171st out of 186 countries with just 23 percent, but according to International Futures, this will grow to 25 percent by 2030.

PRIORITISING THE WATER SUPPLY

A huge priority for Vision 2030 is improving the country’s water management at a time when the overall supply is projected to fall from 78 to 72.6 cubic km between 2015 and 2030.

Some 86 percent of Egypt’s water supply is used in agriculture, of which the vast majority is sourced from the Nile river (the provider of 84 percent of the nation’s total), but there remain concerns about the way the country is overexploiting its renewable water resources (surface and groundwater).

Improved technology, namely desalination and wastewater treatment, is needed to boost levels – by 0.4 and 6.0 cubic km by 2030 respectively.

EVER-EVOLVING ENERGY SECTOR

Egypt’s minister of electricity and renewable energy, Dr Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi, has set an ambitious goal of reducing the particulate pollution rate by 50 percent by 2039 in a bid to achieve quality sustainable development for all Egyptians.

Though traditionally an oil provider, the country has been exporting natural gas to its neighbours since the mid-2000s, and recently Egyptian Natural Gas Holding

Company

It underlined the country’s status as a major world gas exporter servicing countries in southern Europe thanks to a coalition with Israel. Economically speaking, the discovery is a huge opportunity for the country.

Meanwhile, the output of its renewable energy is also projected to grow substantially by 2030 (see pages 12-13).

HUGE GROWTH AHEAD

As detailed on pages 14-15, some huge megaprojects are underway. For example, the Hayah Karima project will help poor people by providing them with housing, healthcare and education. And the New Administrative Capital, some 45 km east of Cairo, will be a hive of activity for many years to come.

With growth, Egypt is opening up and levels of corruption are falling. Its annual ranking provided by Transparency International is steadily improving and projected to climb to 109th by 2030, while its government effectiveness score has also been improving of late.

The government, whose revenues are projected to rise from 23 to 29 percent of the GDP by 2030, should take most of the credit for the improvements. Vision 2030 is being to take shape nicely.

(EGAS) announced five new gas discoveries in the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta.

By the stunning waterfront in Cairo

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GREEN FOCUS

Egypt’s cleaner, greener future

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT THANKS TO HEAVY INVESTMENT, BOTH DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN, IN THE COUNTRY’S RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR

As Egypt makes its final preparations to host COP27, it should be noted that Egypt's preparations for a greener future began long before the location of the summit was announced, and that its collaborative spirit and initiative will help to guide climate action long after the festivities at Sharm El Sheik have concluded.

FILLING A VOID

In the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Europe found itself in something of an energy crisis and has had to look elsewhere for its supply of energy. Egypt has stepped up to the challenge.

Since the invasion, Egypt’s energy exports have nearly tripled. With its abundance of liquified natural gas (LNG), Egypt has been able to

provide some much-needed relief through exporting or re-exporting LNG all over Europe and the Mediterranean.

LNG produces 30 percent less CO2 than oil and 40 percent less than coal; it is the cleanest natural gas.

HIGH HOPES FOR HYDROGEN

As Egypt assumes its increased role in providing energy and all the economic benefits that may bring, it wants to do more than just provide natural gas.

Just as Egypt itself is becoming more reliant on green renewable energy within its borders, it is also working to become a regional hub for a world more reliant on renewable energy. This is accomplished through a combination of heavy investment, the facilitation of global

collaboration, and a government with a welldefined climate agenda and objectives.

The government is currently preparing to release a 40 billion dollar hydrogen strategy plan. The plan has received support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with whom a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed. By 2030 the 40 billion dollars will create a production capacity of 1400 MW and contribute to the creation of low-carbon hydrogen supply chains.

Additionally, the Suez Canal and the area surrounding it have become fertile ground for green energy research and production. The country has allocated many areas around the Suez Canal for green hydrogen productions

AMBITIOUS TARGETS

In its bid to become less reliant on emissionproducing sources of energy, as laid out in the 2035 Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy, Egypty’s plans to shift toward a greener future have set a target of 42 percent of Egypt's electricity coming from green energy sources by 2035.

The plan, which is being revised and seeking approval, could be made even more ambitious with renewable energy to make up 33 percent of the energy generated by 2025, 48 percent by 2030, 55 percent by 2035, and 61 percent by 2040.

If this is to be accomplished it will be helped along in part by foreign investments and private enterprise.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

Countries all over Europe, and the world, see the work that Egypt is doing to expand and advance renewable energy production and are keen to get involved.

Companies based in Norway, Italy, Abu-Dhabi, Germany and the US are just some of the investors keen to get involved in green energy projects (see factbox).

Egypt's renewable energy ambitions however are not limited by Egyptian borders. In a world where decisive climate action is necessary and large-scale shifts to green energy must be demanded, Egypt also hopes to become a major exporter of such energy to help the world through this transition period and beyond.

As such, Egypt and the EU have proposed the creation of the Mediterranean Green Hydrogen Partnership to increase the significance of the hydrogen trade.

MAERSK IN MOTION

Among the companies investing heavily in the advancement of Egypt’s renewable energy production is Danish shipping giant Maersk. Maersk ships are constantly passing through the Suez Canal and their investment has followed a similar path.

Maersk has helped to encourage the production of green ammonia, which could be hugely beneficial to its shipping vessels, and it has agreed to collaborate on a study to determine the feasibility of transforming hydrogen into green methanol.

More concrete still, Maersk announced in September that it would be investing in a 15 billion dollar project to build a network for green energy and produce clean fuel for ships.

“Egypt has excellent conditions for renewable energy production and ambitions to become [a] global leader in the green energy value chain,” enthused said Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, Maersk CEO of Fleet and Strategic Brands, in a statement regarding plans to scale up green fuel production in Egypt.

“We are very excited to be able to explore options together, drawing on our more than 100 years of business relations in the country.”

VESTAS BRINGS THE VELOCITY

Another Danish company collaborating with Egypt is wind turbine giant Vestas. The partnership exemplifies Denmark and Egypt’s united vision for a cleaner and greener future.

Vestas has built a wind farm consisting of 70 turbines, Gulf of Suez 1, for the Egyptian New and Renewable Energy Authority. The farm is part of the 2035 Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy. It will contribute enough renewable energy to power nearly 300,000 Egyptian homes while reducing CO2 emissions

by 560,000 tonnes per year.

“Building on our 40 years of experience and our leadership in the renewable energy sector, we are proud to be back in Egypt and to continue our work there to help transform its energy infrastructure into a reliable system of clean power supply”, said Muhamed Bou-Zeid, General Manager of Vestas Middle East and North Africa, in connection with Suez Gulf 1.

THE FUTURE AND BEYOND

Egypt's energy strategy exactly exemplifies the spirit of COP27. Its innovative and forward-thinking approach is what is needed to guide the world into the future.

Effective climate action is not something that one country can accomplish on its own, and Egypt's ability and readiness to collaborate will help to make it a hub for renewable energy moving forward.

Egypt can be taken as a great example of the environmental and economic benefits available to a country that makes renewable energy a priority.

Egypt’s role as the leader of COP27 is fitting since it will likely be a leader in renewable energy advancement for many years to come.

FOREIGN INTEREST IN EGYPT

• US company H2 Industries proposes a liquid hydrogen carrier hub at Egypt's east port

• Both German and Belgian companies are embarking on green hydrogen pilot projects inside Egypt

• Norway is investing heavily in green ammonia projects to help power ships travelling through the Suez Canal and beyond

• An Italian oil and gas company is considering teaming up with Egyptian companies on green hydrogen projects

Building tomorrow’s history

EGYPT’S PLANS FOR ITS NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL, AND OTHER FOURTH GENERATION COUNTERPARTS, ARE AS AMBITIOUS AS THE ONES THAT LED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PYRAMIDS

The rapid growth of Egypt’s population is well documented. In around 1000 BC, it was 5 million, and by 1900 it had doubled to 10 million. The next doubling then only took 50 years, and by 2000, it stood at just under 70 million. Today it is 104 million.

Plans to take the pressure off overpopulated urban areas, chiefly in and around the capital Cairo, materialised in the 1950s and started to be realised in the 1970s with the construction of 10th of Ramadan – one of several satellite cities proposed to take some of the burden away.

But in truth, the satellite cities were only absorbing the increase in population that took place in the time it took to build them.

Egypt clearly needed more ambitious plans. Accordingly, it is now taking on the most ambitious building projects ever seen in Africa. Egypt is beginning a new chapter of its ancient and distinguished history with a new kind of city – a city of the future.

NEW CITIES, SMART CITIES

Between 2010 and 2020, Egypt’s population grew by a margin of just over two percent every year – so almost 2 million people every year.

Cairo, home to around 22 million people, is the seventh largest city in the world and over twice the size of New York City according to World Urbanisation Prospects.

However, what may seem like a crippling problem has presented itself to be a grand opportunity. To alleviate the stress faced by its current metropolis, increase sustainability and revolutionise urban development, Egypt has announced plans to build 11 uber-modern fourth generation cities – from the ground up.

“We are a nation of builders and, historically, we have always contributed to the success of humanity,” contends Hassan Allam, the CEO of Egyptian construction company Allam Holding.

A NEW CAPITAL

One of the new cities being built is an extravagant new capital city being built

from scratch, which will replace Cairo upon completion.

The New Administrative Capital (NAC), which has not yet been officially named, will be the new home of embassies, government agencies and ministries, as well as a presidential compound.

It is estimated that it will create over 2 million new jobs and house roughly 6.5 million people at first. By 2050, that number could increase to anywhere between 18 and 45 million people.

The city will feature highly advanced urban design technologies and strategies, making it beautiful, comfortable and efficient for all its residents – even as it grows.

As a smart city, it will use technology and data collection tools to reduce traffic and increase safety. Using similar tools, it will also be able to manage utilities and conserve resources and increase sustainability. This not only benefits the environment but also citizens' wallets.

“The government designed a new city [that is] technologically-advanced with state-of-the-art buildings and infrastructure,” explained Allam.

The NAC will also feature a green area not dissimilar to Central Park in New York City, but twice as large. Complete with a large area of open water (the Green River) and gardens, it will serve as an oasis within an urban oasis.

WELCOME TO THE NEW AFRICA

Another of the new smart cities worth mentioning is New Alamein. Set on a 50,000-acre site located on the north coast, it is expected to support a population of 3 million people and combine tourist, historic and residential sectors. It has been dubbed Egypt's ‘Gate to Africa’.

It will contain the latest in urban design to make the city liveable, efficient and congestion-free. It will be most recognisable for the Al Alamein Towers, a grouping of 170-metre skyscrapers that will be the tallest along the Mediterranean coast.

One of its most impressive and forward-looking features is its water production plant with condensation technology – the first of its kind. It will produce 100,000 litres of water per day. Such technology might prove essential in steering the climate crisis away from climate catastrophe in Egypt.

YEARNING FOR A GREENER EGYPT

The new cities present Egypt with the unprecedented opportunity to design cities with sustainability and climate consciousness at their cornerstones.

In a country that is 95 percent desert, it will likely be hit harder and earlier by severe climate change than other places. The new cities being built will support Egypt's climate objectives and create liveable conditions for its citizens in an uncertain future.

Egypt is not only concerned about its own wellbeing but also that of the world, as exemplified by its heavy investment in projects that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (see factbox).

KEY ROLE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

Egypt’s commitment to renewable energy has paid great dividends, already helping to transform the country from a deficit electricity provider to a surplus one. It has accomplished this in large part by ingenious action to leverage the private sector.

By phasing out fuel subsidies and creating a solar Feed-in-Tariff program, Egypt has been able to motivate private companies to take action. Climate action has not just been made feasible in Egypt – it has been made optimal.

SOLAR PARK SEEN FROM SPACE

Benban Solar Park is an offshoot of Egypt's sustainable energy strategy and a testament to the success of the Feed-in-Tariff program. With 41 solar power plants across the 9,000-acre facility, it is among the top five largest solar parks in the world – it is even visible from space!

It was connected to the grid in 2019 to help Egypt accomplish its target of generating 20 percent of electricity from renewables. It had an immediate impact, and today it powers 4.2 million homes. The new cities in Egypt, as well as the old, will rely heavily on Benban, and projects like Benban, moving forwards.

EYES ON THE FUTURE

The urbanisation of Egypt reflects positively on its GDP and growth rate. The images and projections for the NAC, and its fourth generation counterparts, resemble a sci-fi utopia.

They are more than just a fantasy, however, and when they are completed they will represent another giant stride forward taken by Egypt – not just for its own future, but for global technology and the continuation of humanity.

They’ll be putting themselves on the world map in a spectacular fashion –not unlike their ancient ancestors all those thousands of years ago.

SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS

Clean water and sanitation: 39 projects; 5.3 billion dollars

Affordable and clean energy: 30 project: 4.9 billion dollars

Industry innovation and infrastructure: 35 projects; 5.9 billion dollars

Sustainable cities and communities: 33 projects; 1.8 billion dollars

Worship the Egyptian sun!

FROM THE LONG-ESTABLISHED SINAI PENINSULAR TO

EMERGING RED SEA RIVIERA, EGYPT IS OVERFLOWING WITH PREMIER HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS

Visitors to the Sinai Peninsular resorts of Dahab and Sharm El Sheikh in the 1980s and 90s will recall fond memories of their time on Egypt’s Red Sea coastline – a rough and ready beach holiday dripping in charm and experience.

From precarious diving trips and local taxis to smoking shisha in relaxed vibes cultivated in a Bedouin village, it was infinitely preferable to the concrete jungles of Spain’s Costa coasts.

Fast-forward 30 years, and the tourism industry in Egypt has matured but lost none of its charm. While its numerous Red Sea resorts continue to be highly affordable, overall standards of safety, hygiene, transport and technology are now in line with what you would expect at any holiday location in Europe.

Most importantly, the sun god Ra (or is that Re?) hasn’t deserted the resorts. While the Canaries, off the southern tip of Morocco, offer increasingly changeable weather over the winter, they cannot compete with the reliable and, yes, warmer subtropical climate of Egypt’s Red Sea resorts (see factbox).

JUST A SHORT FLIGHT AWAY

For winter sun within a reasonable distance of northern Europe, Egypt is the chosen destination of many Europeans every year.

In 2019, the last year unaffected by the pandemic, it attracted 8.4 million tourists from the continent out of a total of just over 13 million who visited Egypt, generating record revenue of 13.03 billion US dollars.

Increasingly, visitors are not just choosing Egypt for its wealth of antiquities, worldfamous historic structures and inspiring capital Cairo (see factbox), but also opting to spend a conventional holiday in the sunshine.

They’re still drawn to the likes of Dahab, Taba Heights and Sharm El Sheikh, but increasingly it is the more modern resorts in the Red Sea Riviera, located on Egypt’s extensive eastern coastline, which is drawing them in.

MASTERCLASS IN ECO-TOURISM

From the moment they arrive at Hurghada International in the Red Sea Riviera, which opened in 2014 and is already the country’s second busiest airport, all visitors are transfixed by the view: breathtaking mountains

to the west and coral-rich waters to the east.

In resorts where the buildings are deliberately never too high, the beauty of the land and seascapes is visible everywhere you look.

With such potential on its coastlines, the temptation to build, build, build could have resulted in the ugly excesses seen on the Costas.

But the opposite has been true. In respect to the landscape the resorts have inhabited, environmental concerns have been considered at every juncture.

It’s fitting that Egypt is hosting COP27 in a resort, as it could teach the world valuable lessons about eco-tourism and marine conservation.

WATERSPORTS PARADISE

One of the most popular resorts is Hurghada itself, which has blossomed from a humble fishing village into a paradise at the edge of the desert following heavy investment, both Egyptian and foreign, which began in the 1980s.

With a population of nearly quarter of a million and its own airport, it has also been transformed into a serious metropolis, so it has been no surprise to see other resorts developing under its wings.

Visitors to resorts like Hurghada and nearby El Gouna (see factbox), Sahl Hasheesh and Makadi Bay, where the average high temperature never dips below 21.5 degrees all year round, are spoilt for choice regarding the activities they can enjoy.

From scuba diving to snorkelling, and from kitesurfing and wakeboarding to windsurfing and water-skiing, watersports understandably rule supreme – no visit is complete without a boat-trip to watch the dolphins or try out deepsea fishing. But the foothills of the nearby mountains shouldn’t be overlooked, with fans of motorbiking, quad-biking, camel riding and safari tours all well catered to as well.

For European visitors to the area, it really is the ultimate holiday destination during the European winter, as it never fails to deliver the warm, dry weather so sorely lacking back home.

THE BEST OF HISTORIC EGYPT

Visiting Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, the final resting place of Egypt’s 16th to 11th century BC pharaohs, used to involve an arduous journey from Cairo taking 10-12 hours, but today it is accessible from Hurghada International in half the time.

Many choose to visit Luxor via a cruise down the Nile – just be careful not to get on the same boat as Hercule Poirot! Typically they start in the historic city and finish three nights and four days later in Aswan, the site of the famous dam, or vice versa.

While The Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaura in Giza near Cairo are the most famous and visited landmarks in history, there are actually 118 of the structures in Egypt.

The Great Pyramid, built for Pharoah Khufu in the early 26th century BC at a height of 146.5 metres, was the tallest structure in the world for 38 centuries, surpassed finally by Lincoln Cathedral in 1311.

Egypt boasted two of the Wonders of the Ancient World, but only the Pyramids survive today. The Pharos of Alexandria, a 100 metre-high lighthouse built in the third century

BC, was mostly destroyed by three earthquakes between 956 and 1323 before disappearing from view in 1480 when its remnant stones were reappropriated for a new citadel. In 1994, archaeologists found some of its remains on the sea floor. The historically significant city of Alexandria on Egypt’s north coast, the home of Cleopatra, is Egypt’s second biggest metropolis with a population of close to 5.5 million.

Beyond The Pyramids, Giza in Cairo is also the home of The Great Sphinx, a huge sculpture carved out of bedrock in the 26th century BC, 73 metres long from paw to tail. In the first millennium AD, it lost its nose, but it will never lose its appeal.

Bustling with markets, restaurants and nightlife, the capital Cairo is a modern metropolis with a rich history that does not begin and end with its splendid monuments in Giza. Among its other major draws, visitors typically take in the archaeological site Sakkara, which includes the country’s oldest pyramid, Memphis, which includes five-sixths of the country’s pyramids, and the Egyptian Museum, which houses the largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities in the world.

THE RECENTLY

BEST OPTION FOR WINTER SUN

Egypt’s summer, which generally extends from May to September, is extremely hot and dry. Desert-like conditions take over.

European holiday-makers tend to be more attracted to its mild winter climate, from December to March, in which temperatures typically range from the low 20s to the low 30s.

Aside from the country’s Mediterranean coast, rainfall is rare in the winter – making Egypt an extremely reliable holiday destination for guaranteed sunshine and warmth.

Hurghada, for example, had absolutely no rainfall during December in 2020 or 2018, but in the same month in 2021, it fell on five separate days, so it is a possibility.

While the Canary Islands are often cited as having the best climate in the world, the islands have become increasingly subject to changeable conditions in the winter months in recent years, making Egypt a far more reliable choice for winter sun.

ECO-FRIENDLY EL GOUNA

In English, ‘El Gouna’ means ‘the lagoon’, and the first thing that strikes visitors about the resort is how it has made admirable use of the numerous waterways that surround 20 islands and make up 10 km of coastline. No night out is complete without pulling yourself across a canal and using a water taxi. It’s why it’s known as the ‘Venice of Egypt’.

Established in 1989, the whole resort has been realised by Orascom Development under the watchful eyes of its owner, Egyptian-Montenegrin businessman Samih Sawiris. It has taken special care to preserve the natural sea and landscapes, whilst ensuring maximum security with the addition of an impenetrable perimeter and a complete crackdown on mosquitoes (fumigated daily at 17:00).

Just 25 km from Hurghada International Airport, placing it within easy reach for European sun-seekers, its development has been rapid. Already, it has an established film festival (since 2017) and Egyptian Premier League team (since 2003).

As the pilot location of the Green Star Hotel Initiative, El Gouna from the very onset of its existence has been an environmental pioneer. In August 2014, it became the first recipient in Africa or the Arab World to receive the Global Green Award – a United Nations Environment Program accolade that recognises cities that display substantial measures and efforts in progress within the field of environmental sustainability.

The low rise architecture is equally organic. Every single building has been designed to resemble traditional rural Egyptian architecture typically found in Nubian villages. None are more than a few storeys high – the recently constructed 20-metre colonnades that enclose the Gouna Festival Plaza is the tallest structure in the city.

And soon, El Gouna will be self-sufficient energy-wise thanks to renewable energy sources. Central to the initiative is a concentrating solar tower plant with thermal storage and low-temperature seawater desalination unit, along with an integrated photovoltaic plant and a wind turbine.