Egypt has called for increased financial support for developing countries to help them address climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation, stressing that global environmental objectives cannot be achieved without adequate, predictable and equitable financing.
The appeal was made in a statement delivered on behalf of Minister of Environment and Local Development Manal Awad by Hoda El-Shawadfy, Assistant Minister for Ecotourism, during the eighth assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Uzbekistan.
In its statement, Egypt emphasised that environmental action and sustainable development are closely interconnected, arguing that developing countries require sufficient financial support to fulfil their environmental commitments while continuing efforts to reduce poverty, strengthen food security, expand access to energy and enhance resilience to climate-related shocks.
Egypt commended the Global Environment Facility for its role over the past three decades in supporting developing countries and advancing the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements amid mounting global challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, water scarcity and rising debt burdens.
Cairo also welcomed the Integrated Drylands and Drought Management Programme under the GEF’s ninth replenishment cycle, calling for greater focus on water security, drought resilience, sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration.
The statement highlighted the need to simplify access to climate and environmental finance by streamlining funding procedures, reducing transaction costs and expanding direct access to international funding for national institutions.
While acknowledging the potential role of blended finance in mobilising additional resources, Egypt stressed that grant-based financing should remain the cornerstone of support provided through the facility, particularly for developing countries facing significant development and environmental challenges.
Egypt further argued that negotiations on a future international agreement to tackle plastic pollution should be accompanied by additional financial resources, rather than relying on funding diverted from existing multilateral environmental agreements.
Egypt reiterated that developing nations cannot be expected to meet increasingly ambitious global environmental targets with limited and fragmented financial resources, reaffirming its support for the Global Environment Facility and its commitment to working with international partners to ensure that the facility’s next funding cycle delivers the scale, equity and effectiveness required to address pressing global environmental challenges.
