Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Climate Change High Level Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, said that ignoring climate action files of adaptation, and addressing loss and damage has exposed many countries and small islands to climate change threats.
During a session entitled “Towards Blue Cities: Adapting and Building Resilience to Climate Change in Coastal Communities and Cities of Africa”, Mohieldin said that Egypt, through COP27, succeeded in placing adaptation, and addressing loss and damage files on the international climate action agenda, after more than ten years of neglect that led to the fact that small islands have exposed to sea level rise, and floods brought about third of Pakistan’s area under water.
Mohieldin noted that prevention of these disasters will only take place with huge investments in mitigation measures, adding that transition towards blue economy requires strong partnerships between public and private sectors, active participation of national development banks, and international financial institutions adopting standards for soft grants and loans and providing them to middle-income countries as well as low-income ones.
The climate champion confirmed that the blue economy also needs more finance for adaptation measures, pointing to the importance of Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda as an international mechanism to promote adaptation measures and strengthen resilience to face climate change.
Mohieldin praised the five regional forums initiative, which resulted in 420 projects, 50 of them are showcased at the conference, explaining that the initiative resulted in a number of promising projects that relate to transition to blue economy.
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