The congress, held every four years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, brings together representatives from governments, research centres, civil society, and international organizations in more than 160 countries to set future directions for biodiversity protection.
Under the theme “Powering Transformative Conservation,” this year’s congress focuses on advancing nature-based solutions (NbS) to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
Egypt is participating with a high-level delegation led by Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment Manal Awad, representing President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
The delegation includes experts, research institutions, and NGOs who are presenting Egypt’s growing experience in using natural systems to address climate challenges.
Minister Awad said the meeting is a key opportunity to accelerate environmental action, strengthen scientific cooperation, and launch innovative ways to protect nature.
She emphasized that climate change and biodiversity loss are two linked crises threatening ecosystems, economies, and human well-being.
“We need nature now more than ever to stabilize our climate and build resilience,” Awad said, adding that nature-based solutions are “among the most effective tools to confront global environmental challenges and improve quality of life.”
She highlighted the ENACT Initiative, launched by Egypt and Germany at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2022 in partnership with the IUCN, as a model for global cooperation.
The initiative aims to integrate nature-based solutions into the three Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate, and desertification by turning pilot projects into national policies.
Egypt’s presentation also showcased leading projects such as the Climate Change Adaptation Project in the North Coast and Nile Delta, implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation with support from the UNDP and funding from the Green Climate Fund.
The project protects low-lying Delta lands from flooding caused by rising sea levels.
According to Awad, Egypt has invested $6.1 million from its national budget, alongside $17 million from the Green Climate Fund, for a total of $31.5 million, to build 69 kilometres of coastal protection using natural methods.
The project has improved the resilience of nearly 750,000 residents in the Delta, and similar measures are being expanded along other parts of the Mediterranean coast.
During the congress, UN Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Mahmoud Mohieldin called for reforming global debt and finance systems to ensure that funding directly supports local communities and indigenous peoples engaged in conservation.
He noted a $700 billion annual shortfall in biodiversity funding and pointed to “debt-for-nature swaps” as a dual-benefit tool that both relieves fiscal pressure on developing countries and channels resources into conservation.
Mohieldin warned that less than 10 percent of climate finance currently goes to nature-based solutions and urged that COP30 in Belém next year create a new financial framework that allows developing nations to invest in resilience without adding debt.
Emad El-Din Adly, chair of the IUCN North Africa Regional Committee and head of the Arab Office for Youth and Environment, said many Egyptian projects already use local resources to deliver nature-based solutions at low cost.
He warned against overdependence on advanced technologies that could disrupt natural balance and presented three successful community-based conservation projects in Aswan, North Sinai, and Fayoum under the Small Grants Programme.
Khaled El-Noubi, executive director of the Egyptian Society for Nature Conservation, voiced concern about the limited attention given to North African ecosystems at the congress.
While dozens of sessions focus on wetlands, he said, only one side event addresses oasis ecosystems, despite their fragility and rich biodiversity.
He also called for greater attention to the unique ecosystems of the North African oases, warning that they face severe threats from climate change and human encroachment.
Closing the plenary, IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar praised the organization’s global reach and diversity.
He noted that it now connects nearly 1,400 organizations and 17,000 experts across 160 countries, combining modern science with traditional knowledge to stop habitat loss, restore ecosystems, and improve livelihoods.
The congress continues this week with sessions on climate adaptation, biodiversity financing, and the role of local communities in implementing nature-based solutions.
Short link: