Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad conferred on Sunday with Dutch Ambassador to Egypt Peter Mollema on ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of environment and to strengthen partnerships in environmental and climate investments.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Minister of Environment for Multilateral Agreements Raouf Saad, Climate Policy Officer at the Embassy Dina Tawfik and several leaders from the Ministry of Environment.
During the meeting, Fouad highlighted the recent developments in Egypt’s environmental sector, within the framework of the political leadership’s directives to change the discourse on the environment by integrating environmental, climate, and biodiversity aspects into various development sectors, and changing the perception of the environment to be an economic driver.
The Ministry of Environment collaborated in 2019 with the Ministries of Planning and Finance to issue the first environmental sustainability standards in Egypt, to be integrated into the general budget with the ambitious goal of reaching 100 percent of national projects as green by 2030. Additionally, Egypt announced the first green bonds in the Middle East and North Africa to implement green projects.
She also discussed Egypt’s steps towards integrating environment and climate into development sectors, including placing the National Council for Climate Change under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, with membership from various ministries and concerned entities. Egypt launched the first Environmental and Climate Investment Forum last September, highlighting promising investment opportunities in this field, she added.
Fouad also highlighted Egypt’s international role in light of its commitments regarding biodiversity and climate, as it hosted two important conferences: the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP15 in 2018, contributing to drafting the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and COP27 on Climate in 2022, introducing for the first time a fund for losses and damages. Egypt continues to play its role as a regional and international player, supporting Arab and African brethren in finding the best ways to protect the environment, the minister explained.
Moreover, the Minister of Environment pointed out to priority areas for cooperation with the Dutch side, including water and agriculture, which are national priorities and important aspects of the National Climate Strategy 2050 and the updated National Contributions Plan.
This cooperation is also within the framework of the NOVI program for Energy-Water-Food nexus projects, aimed at encouraging the private sector to invest in these areas by linking mitigation and adaptation projects to climate change, addressing the impact of climate change on water, crops, and small-scale farmers. She highlighted the success story of Egyptian-Dutch cooperation in implementing the Climate Change Adaptation Project in the North Coast and Nile Delta, utilizing the Dutch technology.
Mollema, for his part, emphasized his country’s interest in achieving the goal of phasing out fossil fuels by 2050 and transitioning to green energy while reducing carbon emissions. He stated, “We are committed to supporting developing countries in achieving the goal of a just energy transition in light of the challenges they face.”
The diplomat also expressed his country’s interest in cooperating with Egypt in the field of green hydrogen production and seizing available investment opportunities, considering Egypt as a promising country in this field.
Mollema also affirmed his country’s interest in enhancing cooperation with Egypt, given its leadership role in the region, especially in the areas of resource conservation and environmental preservation, which are priorities on the Dutch policy agenda. He mentioned the importance of identifying national priorities as promising opportunities for partnership and cooperation, creating partnerships between the Dutch and Egyptian private sectors.
The ambassador highlighted promising investment opportunities in the environmental and climate sectors in Egypt. Recently, a delegation of 25 Dutch companies visited Egypt to explore partnership opportunities with the Egyptian government and private sector in areas such as agriculture, energy, and waste-to-energy conversion.
