As the current president of the 14th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP14), Egypt’s Environment Minister Yasmin Fouad has delivered a speech during the opening session of the G7 ministerial meeting on climate change in Metz, France. The meetings run on 5 and 6 May, and focus on combatting the inequality generated by climate change. On its official page, and in its capacity as the G7 president in 2019, the French government wrote: “Climate change hits vulnerable populations even harder, such as through coastal erosion, cyclones, floods and health issues. It heaps inequality on inequality and insecurity on insecurity. This is why climate change will be a major priority of France’s G7 year.”
In her word, Dr Fouad highlighted the importance of tackling the issue of the detrimental effects of climate change and the need for effective discussion of biodiversity issues basing on the resolutions of conferences held during the last 13 years. She drew attention to Africa as one of the continents most affected by climate change, and whose natural resources and biodiversity stand to suffer much. Dr Fouad announced Egypt’s support of France in this concern.
Dr Fouad referred to the importance of including young people into the environmental conservation process, noting that the Egyptian Environment Ministry intends to launch such an initiative in cooperation with Polish Environment Minister, current president of the climate change conference CO24.
Watani International
5 May 2019
