Moving from pledges to climate action in Egypt

Cop27 host Egypt aims to highlight Africa’s climate needs and ambitions during a combined meeting of African ministers and officials gathered for the second annual International Co-operation Forum (ICF), which opens on Wednesday.

The three-day conference, taking place in the New Administrative Capital east of central Cairo, will focus on three main themes: the mobilization of finance and access to finance, financing mitigation and adaptation projects, and national actions.

The objectives of the conference outlined by the Egyptian leadership are to move “from pledges to implementation”. Cop27, the UN climate change summit, takes place in Sharm El Sheikh from November 6 to November 18.

The meeting will also help to identify the support required by African countries to develop their updated nationally determined contributions, the climate action plans required by the 2015 Paris Agreement, before Cop27.

Participants at the event will include African ministers of finance, economy and environment, as well as global policymakers, development partners and banking officials. US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry is among the government representatives who will be present in Cairo.

Panel discussions, including conversations on “translating financial commitments to opportunities in Africa” and “African countries' ownership in determining climate agenda”, are aimed at advancing Africa’s green transformation, stimulating climate action and mobilizing climate financing.

Workshops cover climate action innovation, food security and agriculture, sustainable budgeting, private sector engagement, women’s empowerment and sovereign ratings. There will also be round-table sessions reviewing Egypt’s NWFE program, which stands for the nexus for water, food and energy.

The government set up the initiative in July to enhance development finance and investment opportunities in these vital sectors.

Partners include the African Export-Import Bank, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the Climate Investment Funds, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, the International Finance Corporation, the European Investment Bank, Banque Misr and the National Bank of Egypt.

At the first ICF held a year ago, about 1,500 representatives from governments, development partners, the private sector and civil society took part.

The focus of the event, which took place before Egypt was announced as Cop27 host, was to help developing countries to close the estimated $3.7 trillion annual funding gap in meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“Green recovery has become an urgent need coming at the top of world governments’ priorities,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said at the time.