Egypt's Sisi tackles climate change, technological gap between North and South at Group of 77 meeting
Ahram Online , Thursday 27 Sep 2018
'We should mobilise the necessary funding to face climate change, and cooperate with the effective international bodies to achieve the Global Sustainable Development Goals of 2030, the president said


Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi opened on Thursday the 42nd meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of 77 and China, which Egypt is chairing in 2018.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, and was attended by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antomio Guterres.

El-Sisi discussed Egypt's role in backing the group's activities in the 1960s in a way that contributed to serving the group's goals with regards to fostering cooperation among the countries of the South.

El-Sisi also handed the chairmanship of the group for the year 2019 to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The UN's Group of 77 and China was founded in 1964 with 77 countries including Egypt, Brazil and India.

It has since grown to 134 members plus China as a participant non-member.

Egypt has previously chaired the group in 1972/73 and 1984/85.

The Egyptian president's speech tackled the issues of climate change and the challenge it represents to developing countries, as well as the technological gap between North and South.

"Egypt, as the president of the Group of 77, has been representing developing countries in negotiations in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change," he said.

"We should mobilise the necessary funding to face climate change, and cooperate with the effective international bodies toachieve the Global Sustainable Development Goals of 2030," El-Sisi said.

The Egyptian president also stated that developing countries need to make advancements in healthcare, education, food, water and energy.

"Technology should be used in sustainable development," the Egyptian president said, adding that countries should be using technologies that provide new jobs opportunities, and not those that end existing opportunities.

El-Sisi also said that developing countries are facing challenges because they are trailing behind in fields such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and biotechnology.

President El-Sisi announced that the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh will be hosting the UN biodiversity conference COP14 in November.

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