Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Climate Change High Level Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, stated that the National Initiative for Green and Smart Projects succeeded in raising the local awareness of the climate action importance, and the vital role of local actors in achieving climate targets.
His remarks came during his participation via video in the start of the work of the National Initiative for Green and Smart Projects Jury, with the participation of Ambassador Hisham Badr, the national coordinator of the initiative, Engineer Khaled Mustafa, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Dr Emad El Din Adli, Chairman of the Egyptian Sustainable Development Forum, Dr Mohamed El Muhammadi, Egypt Award for Governmental Excellence Evaluation Manager, and a number of the related ministries representatives.
Mohieldin praised the big interest showed by governorates and local actors in participating in the initiative through registering green projects that make the most benefits of the technological development, a way that reflects the raise of climate issues awareness and the necessity of different sectors transitioning in order to achieve development goals including climate ones.
He said that the initiative is unprecedented in all countries that hosted the previous COPs, and it aims to localize the climate action in a way that make all cities and villages residents benefit of development and climate projects, adding that the work on the initiative will not be finished by showcasing the projects during COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh next month, but the conference actually will represent a starting point for the initative continuing in the coming years as a part of Egypt’s green development action obligation.
Mohieldin highlighted the intensive efforts from all those involved in the initiative in a short period of time, saying that the results will be declared on November 3rd before showcasing the winning projects in Sharm El Sheikh conference as a model of localizing development and climate action.
The climate champion said that related UN bodies, international and local actors will witness the winning projects showcasing, explaining that this will help supporting these projects and enhance their implementation tracks in the light of investment map across Egypt governorates.
Dr Mostafa Madbouli, Egypt PM, launched the National Initiative for Green and Smart Projects across governorates last August, the initiative includes 6 categories of projects which are mega projects, medium projects, small and local projects especially those related to Decent Life presidential initiative, startups projects, not for profit social initiatives, development projects related to women, climate change and sustainability.
Every governorate selected 6 projects (one for each category) to be presented at the final stage, in which the jury will pick the best three projects of each category to get 18 winning projects across Egypt.
