Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is expected to inaugurate on Saturday the UN Biodiversity conference(COP 14) in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh on Saturday, Presidency Spokesperson Bassam Rady said.

The Conference kicked off four days after African ministerial meetings discussed the continent's biodiversity priorities and future work plans.

According to Rady, Egypt is the first Arab and African country to host this event "which is the largest international conference of the United Nations in the conservation of biodiversity and ecological systems." 

The conference is expected to discuss key measures to speed up actions to advance the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and review progress made towards its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, a set of agreed objectives on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use to be reached by 2020.

The gathering, which runs from 17 to 29 November, also aims to develop a post 2020 global framework on biodiversity to be adopted in Beijing, China, where the next round of the conference will be held.

The conference, chaired by Egypt until 2020, "will put more weight to Egypt's vision in related policies and decision-making, which will further enhance the country's leading role in this important field and reflect its interest in sustainable development issues thus attracting foreign investments to this sector," Rady added.