Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi underscored the immediate need and significance of cooperative efforts to address the climate emergency, at the ceremonial opening of COP28 in Dubai on Friday.
In his powerful speech, al-Sisi emphasised Egypt’s commitment to confronting the climate change crisis and urged sincere collaboration and international support for the United Arab Emirates in order to guarantee historic results from the conference in Dubai.
He further said, “the repercussions of climate change are no less significant than the political and international challenges we face.”
“As political leaders responsible to our people, we must work sincerely to ensure that COP28 produces ambitious results and accelerated implementation of previous pledges, ”al-Sisi added.
Moreover, the Egyptian President lauded the UAE for its role in hosting COP28 and expressed faith in its ability to achieve a successful outcome.
He also highlighted the advancements made at COP27, which included the creation of a financial fund for developing nations to address climate-related losses and damages, a programme for a fair transition, and a plan to cut emissions.
Nevertheless, al-Sisi warned that the climate change efforts depend on having enough money, urging for a joint plan that has clear recommendations on how to improve all aspects of the climate financing system, such as financing institutions and policies, evaluation institutions and the private sector.
