Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, Badr Abdelatty received Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The meeting was also attended by Alaa El-Din Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation; Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation; and Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment.
Discussions focused on cooperation priorities between Egypt and the UNCCD Secretariat for the coming period.
Abdelatty congratulated Fouad on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded by the Nobel Sustainability Prize Fund. The prize recognizes individuals and institutions making significant contributions to sustainable solutions for climate change and the development of clean technologies.
Abdelatty expressed his appreciation for the achievement, noting that it reflects the high standing of Egyptian expertise on the international stage. He also commended the Executive Secretary's commitment to maintaining close coordination with Egypt, which helps align international efforts with the priorities of developing countries.
During the meeting, the ministers reviewed Egypt's position on the Convention's agenda, emphasizing that drought and food security remain top national priorities. They affirmed that Egypt adopts a preventative and developmental approach to addressing drought, rather than treating it as a temporary emergency.
The ministers also stressed the importance of providing new and additional funding to developing nations, particularly in Africa, to address the challenges of land degradation, desertification, and water scarcity.
The session concluded with an exchange of views on the support mechanisms offered by the Convention, including capacity building, technical assistance, and the utilization of financing mechanisms established at the recent Conference of the Parties in Riyadh.
Source: Egypt Today
