Cairo leads the African movement to combat desertification... intensive preparations ahead of COP17 conference
Broad participation from representatives of African countries and regional organizations
Written by Omnia Hassan
Cairo continues to strengthen its role as a regional center for environmental dialogue and sustainable development by hosting the regional meeting. African Preparatory meeting for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17), with broad participation from representatives of African countries and regional and international organizations concerned with environmental and climate change issues.
Arab-African partnership to support sustainable development
The Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries, affiliated with the League of Arab States, participated in organizing and opening the meeting, as part of its efforts to promote Arab-African cooperation and support initiatives aimed at addressing the environmental challenges threatening the continent, most notably desertification, land degradation and drought.
The meeting is an important step towards unifying African positions and formulating a common vision before the 17th Conference of the Parties, ensuring that the continent’s priorities and needs are conveyed to the international community, especially in light of the increasing impacts of climate change on food security and natural resources.
High-level attendance from Egypt and Africa
The opening session was attended by a number of senior officials and experts, including Dr. Ghada Abdel Moneim Hegazi, representing the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, along with Ambassador Mohand Saleh Laâjouzi, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and Director-General of the Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries.
Also participating were Dr. Ahmed El-Maqs, Head of the African Union Office “SAFGRAD”, Dr. Sarah Hassan, representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Birgui Lamizana, representative of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, in addition to Mr. Jean Kouadia, Head of the African Group in the Convention.
Unifying African visions to address environmental challenges
Participants discussed ways to enhance regional cooperation to combat desertification and improve natural resource management, as well as support efforts to restore degraded lands and enhance resilience to the effects of climate change.
This meeting reflects the commitment of African countries to coordinate their positions and intensify their joint efforts to address the escalating environmental challenges, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and protecting the future of coming generations in the African continent.
The importance of COP17 for the African continent
The ongoing preparations for the 17th Conference of the Parties to Combat Desertification are of particular importance to African countries, as they are among the regions of the world most affected by drought, land degradation and loss of biodiversity.
The participating countries seek to enhance access to international financing, technology transfer, and national capacity building, in order to support the implementation of sustainable development projects and the reclamation of degraded lands.
