As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the UNFCCC, it is indeed Egypt’s privilege to be hosting COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Climate change is no doubt the challenge of our times, and the international community is hence called upon to deal with this challenge collectively, effectively and rapidly.

In Glasgow we succeeded in concluding for the most part the extensive negotiations to operationalize the Paris Agreement, we must now set our attentions on the full implementation of the Agreement and on the delivery of the various commitments and pledges made. The most reliable science available in the form of the recently published IPCC reports paints a sobering picture, and highlights the urgent need to significantly raise our ambition with regard to emissions reduction, in tandem with the need to effectively adapt to the negative impacts of Climate change. The reports also reminded us of the need to provide and mobilize necessary financial support from public and private sources, along with other means of implementation in the form of technology and capacity building if we are to ensure that developing countries are in a position to make the necessary contribution to this global effort.

Nevertheless, we in Egypt truly believe that the political will demonstrated in Glasgow allowed us to successfully complete our work on the Paris Agreement Work Program, and to announce a broad range of commitments and pledges. We trust that this political will and genuine commitment will once again be on display in Sharm El-Sheikh and will facilitate making the progress we all aspire to.

And while many governments have stepped up their action and others will hopefully follow suit in the near future, the fact remains that this global effort requires contributions from and collaboration with all non-party stakeholders across the board.

With this in mind, we plan to organize around ten thematic days, and to launch a number of initiatives, and to hold a number of forums and side events all of which will bring governments and non-governmental stakeholders together working in concert towards a common objective. In addition, and cognizant of the indispensable role of youth organizations, we are working to ensure that their voices will be heard and that their views will be taken into consideration as we move towards implementing commitments and actions on the ground.

As incoming Presidency, we commit to all parties to exert all efforts to create an environment conducive to reaching consensus on negotiating texts. This in our view requires a less adversarial and more empathetic approach in dealing with issues at hand, and we trust that all parties will appreciate that our chances of success, collectively, are greatly enhanced when every country, group and community feels that their interests and concerns are taken on board.