Egypt to help SSA countries advance environmental agenda: FM

Egypt will partner with Sub- Saharan African (SSA) countries to advance the green agenda and sustainable development, the country's Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry said on Tuesday

Shoukry told a committee of permanent representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi that his country will help African countries address environmental challenges and poverty.

"Egypt will partner with African countries to achieve common objectives, including green economy, sustainable development, food and water security,"Shoukry said. Permanent Representatives of the UNEP met in Nairobi to discuss future activities of the UN agency that has an enlarged mandate. Shoukry told diplomats that Egypt will mobilize the international community to help African countries cope with climatic shocks.

"As this year's host of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN), Egypt has a duty to lead negotiations towards a climate deal that reflects Africa's shared aspirations," Shoukry said.

He urged African countries to speak in one voice as the global community prepares for Paris talks that will culminate in signing of a legally binding agreement to cut green house gas emissions.

"We have two major milestones in our environmental calendar this year that will have far reaching implications on transition to green economy and sustainable development in Africa," Shoukry told reporters, adding that Egypt will strengthen cooperation with African states to address environmental challenges like desertification, biodiversity loss and land degradation.

Shoukry noted that South-South cooperation is critical to revitalize ecological protection in Africa."We need to develop mechanisms to facilitate the transfer of environmental technologies from developed to developing countries."

Shoukry noted that bilateral cooperation with African countries in diverse fields like agriculture, water management and forestry has blossomed. Endi