Egypt aims to shift focus to developing countries in climate talks

Egypt takes over presidency of the UN climate talks from Britain

Danish Climate Minister Dan Joergensen, Cop26 president Alok Shama, Cop27 president designate Sameh Shoukry and UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa, after a meeting in Copenhagen. Reuters

Egypt will seek to promote the interests of the developing world when it hosts this year's Cop27 UN climate summit, a senior official has said.

Positioning itself as an impartial arbiter, Cairo will seek to persuade countries to act on climate pledges, Wael Aboulmagd, special representative to the Cop27 president, said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is Cop27 president-designate.

A top aim is securing the $100 billion a year wealthy countries have pledged to help poorer nations adjust to the changing climate.

And despite Egypt's ban on unauthorised public demonstrations, protests will be welcome at the Cop27 gathering between November 7 and 18, at Sharm El Sheikh tourist resort on the Red Sea, the official said.

“There are certain rules and we're working with the secretariat to ensure that if there are people who want to protest, they're entitled to do that, and it's done in a peaceful manner,” Mr Aboulmagd said.

“It's good to have people yelling at you ― hopefully not throwing stuff at you, but just yelling at you and we're accustomed to that.”

A natural gas exporter, Egypt takes over the presidency of the UN climate talks from Britain. It will be succeeded by the UAE, which is hosting Cop28 in 2023.

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Last year's Cop26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, ended with the nearly 200 countries promising to strengthen their climate pledges this year.

But wealthy nations disappointed many in Glasgow by saying they would not deliver the $100 billion a year promised from 2020 until 2023 to help developing countries with energy transition and adapting to a warming world.

Delivering this financing is among Egypt's priorities for Cop27. It also wants to focus on securing separate “loss and damage” funds, or compensation payments to climate-vulnerable countries already suffering from climate-related extreme weather, Mr Aboulmagd said.

“There are issues that are of interest and priority to developing countries, and there are high expectations from us as a developing country to ensure that these issues are taken on board and that they achieve commensurate progress with how important they are,” he said.

But Egypt also would seek to mediate between developed and developing countries that have clashed over issues including carbon emissions and climate financing, as it tries to help steer a move from pledges to action, he said.

“In this particular year, it is in the interest of the process that a perception of impartiality and equal distance from everyone is maintained.”

Mr Aboulmagd said Egypt was working to launch about 17 voluntary initiatives in areas including food and agriculture and water management, hoping to inspire ideas and action to help countries meet their pledges.

Egypt is fine-tuning its own updated target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, known as a nationally determined contribution.

“We intend to move even faster, despite very difficult circumstances,” Mr Aboulmagd said, referring to economic disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

To promote global access and representation at COP27, Egypt has sought to fast track accreditation for under-represented civil society organisations from Africa, Mr Aboulmagd said, adding that he hoped climate campaigners and activists play a constructive role.

Egypt's government had worked with hotels to provide affordable accommodation for those attending the Sharm El Sheikh summit, he said.

“What we have done to the utmost is to ensure that decent hotels and very reasonable rates are made available.”