The Minister of International Cooperation, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, held a meeting with Vera Songwe, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNECA to discuss opportunities in putting African countries in the driver's seat of combating climate change, where they are able to unify their objectives through defining regional development.
The meeting is part of Vera Songwe’s official mission to Cairo to participate in COP27 related discussions with the government officials and other stakeholders.
In the face of Africa's many common and overlapping challenges, the meeting assessed the prospects of strengthening South-South and triangular cooperation to diversify the range of modalities for the exchange of development solutions. In line with the African Union’s commitment to transform the African agriculture sector and end hunger in Africa by 2025, as well as promote climate resilient economies, the Ministry is working on drafting a guidebook that incorporates the pillars of the international framework for adopting innovative climate financing, with transparency, inclusion, and justice at the core.
The Minister noted that the Ministry’s vision for South-South and triangular cooperation will also be realized through the South-South Development Academy in Egypt, which will capitalize on Egypt's leading role in exchanging expertise and sharing success stories with developing and emerging economies, and identify development priorities that will need additional attention and financing.
The Ministry is also preparing to launch the “Just Financing” initiative during COP27, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment of Egypt, bilateral and multilateral development partners, United Nations, International Financing Institutions (IFIs) and the private sector.
The initiative aims to develop an international financing framework for innovative climate finance based on the concepts of inclusion, equity and justice, centered around distributive justice, procedural justice and recognition (which entails basic respect and robust engagement with and fair consideration of diverse cultures and perspectives).
In line with COP26 and the road to Net Zero by 2050, Songwe has delivered a keynote speech at Egypt’s first International Cooperation Forum (ICF) where she emphasized the need for a framework for Africa to realize the just-transition modalities to achieve a green and resilient economy.
The Ministry of International Cooperation and the United Nations office in Egypt launched a transparent process of consultations to prepare the new Egypt-UN Cooperation Framework for years 2023-2027 (UNSDCF), including a standalone outcome focused on enhancing climate resilience and efficiency of natural resource management. The consultation process has witnessed engagement of over 32 national institutions and 28 UN agencies, as well as civil society organizations and the private sector.