As prepared for delivery

Excellencies, Honorable Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

• It is my pleasure to be here with you today for this important workshop.
• I would like to thank the Minister of Environment for covening this workshop.
  
• Sharm El Sheikh will be hosting COP27 in November this year, bringing together world leaders to forge a global response to the climate emergency.
• Sharm El-Sheikh will be receiving worldwide attention, and this is an opportunity that must be seized.
• Egypt’s offer to host the COP27 reaffirms its commitment to accelerate the fight against climate change.
• Climate action is a high priority on the national agenda and a key pillar of sustainable development. Significant progress has already been achieved in adaptation and mitigation.
• For example, Egypt is leading together with the UK, the Global Adaptation Alliance. A series of important climate change adaptation projects have been implemented to protect low-lying lands in the Nile Delta from sea level rise, conserving water resources and making the agriculture sector more resilient.
• On the mitigation side, Egypt’s commitment to energy transition has been clear ever since the country started the energy policy reform in 2015.  There have been significant achievements in energy efficiency and renewable energy, which have led to substantial reductions in electricity consumption and the generation of green electricity.
• The Government’s investment in the mega solar park in Benban enabled the country to meet the national targets for electricity generation capacities from large-scale solar energy systems.
• UNDP’s support to Egypt’s energy transition has been aligned from the very beginning with Egypt Vision 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals, and with the Paris Agreement.
• One project that we are particularly proud of is a joint project with the Ministry of Electricity. Together, we supported a successful market transformation to energy-efficient lighting. This has led to large savings in electricity consumption at the national level. It has reduced the national annual rate of greenhouse gas emissions, improved air quality and helped preserve Egypt’s natural gas for the future generation.
• This transformation happened so fast that UNDP is currently documenting it as a global best practice, hoping that it will inspire other countries to embark on energy transition journeys.
• At the moment, UNDP and the Industrial Modernization Center are working on promoting small-scale rooftop PV systems  --in partnership with the Ministry of Electricity and with funding from the Global Environment Facility // and we believe that this will yet become another international best practice.

Excellencies

Ladies and Gentlemen

• Sharm El Sheikh’s green image will reinforce Egypt’s position as a leader in climate change action and help the city become once again a top tourism destination.
• Solar power stations on the hotels' rooftops will be visible to everyone, showing that hotels too have checked into green power sources.
• We believe that the initiative we are launching today with the Ministry of Tourism will pave the way for opening small-scale solar energy markets in Egypt.
• The fact that we have the highest-level representation from four Ministries here today, and that this event is hosted by the Governorate of South Sinai and the Egyptian Tourism Federation confirms the government’s unreserved commitment to the success of this initiative.
• This will not only further accelerate Egypt’s energy transition, but it will also be instrumental in achieving the national target for electricity generation capacities from small-scale solar energy systems.
• UNDP is now offering to co-fund the installation of a rooftop car shed in Sharm El-Sheikh’s airport and build a small solar power station for the water desalination plant/ which could be completed in the next few months, just before the start of the COP 27.
• My team and I very much look forward to continuing working closely together with the Egyptian Tourism Federation, the Ministry of Environment and the Governorate of South Sinai over the next years to turn Sharm El Sheikh into one of the world’s greenest and most sustainable cities.

Thank you.