Over more than four decades, Fahmy has built a career spanning environmental governance, green economic reform, and institutional transformation. As Egypt’s former Minister of Environment, he played a pivotal role in modernizing national environmental policy, strengthening Egypt’s voice in global climate negotiations, and representing the country at the landmark Paris Climate Conference.
Today, Dr Fahmy serves as Executive Director of the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), while also holding a professorship in environmental economics at the National Institute of Planning. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Economics and Law in Berlin, has published more than twenty scientific studies, and continues to contribute to environmental policymaking across the Arab region, Europe, and the wider international arena.
The interview comes as Cairo hosts the 24th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (COP 24), held under the theme “Mediterranean Blue Growth: Towards a Resilient and Sustainable Future” from 2–5 December 2025 in cooperation with the UN Environment Programme. With CEDARE assuming an increasingly visible regional and international role in Mediterranean environmental governance, the conversation explores the centre’s strategic direction, its contributions to COP24, and its wider mission to advance sustainable development and environmental resilience.
How was CEDARE established, and how has it evolved over the past three decades?
The centre was established 30 years ago as one of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment’s institutional mechanisms, with support from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the UN Development Programme. Since its founding, CEDARE has built an extensive legacy of environmental work in Egypt, across the Arab region, and increasingly at the global level. The inclusion of Europe in its governance structure has broadened its mandate and facilitated the transfer of European expertise to regional environmental and climate projects.
We are now undertaking comprehensive restructuring at the technical, administrative, and financial levels. This includes revising our vision, mission, and strategic goals, and developing a forward-looking plan that strengthens institutional performance, secures long-term financial sustainability, and expands collaboration with the private sector.
What is the current scope of CEDARE’s work?
We are placing greater emphasis on economic dimensions and on South–South cooperation, while expanding our engagement with neighbouring regions in Asia and Africa—the East and West of our broader region. These priorities are shaping the centre’s ongoing restructuring and plans to work more directly with Asian and African partners.
Is the centre moving toward nature-based activities?
Absolutely. CEDARE is committed to expanding programmes that create jobs and support economic and community development through the sustainable use of natural resources. We are also widening our partnership base—especially with the private sector—diversifying funding sources, and finalizing a 2025–2026 work plan alongside a five-year strategic plan.
We work closely with the New and Renewable Energy Authority as a technical adviser on carbon certificates. Egypt is well-positioned to become a regional hub for Africa in this field. At the same time, we are completing an updated human resources manual to strengthen institutional performance.
What does CEDARE’s participation in COP24 look like this year?
Our participation coincides with a significant expansion in our regional engagement. Two major strategic developments will be announced soon:
- A new form of integration within the Mediterranean environmental governance system that reflects CEDARE’s growing relevance.
- A major partnership agreement with one of the world’s leading environmental institutions to support regional sustainability and environmental management priorities.
These steps highlight our commitment to strengthening partnerships and reinforcing joint environmental action across the Mediterranean.
Will COP24 witness a notable announcement regarding CEDARE?
Yes. CEDARE will formally join the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) as an intergovernmental organization member. This reflects confidence in the centre’s capabilities in sustainable development, environmental governance, and regional cooperation across the Arab world and the Mediterranean basin.
As a partner to the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP), CEDARE will continue supporting national and regional institutions through integrated analyses, applied research, environmental policies, technical assistance, and capacity building.
What will CEDARE contribute as part of its MCSD membership?
CEDARE will engage in several strategic fields: integrated water resources management (IWRM), environmental assessment and reporting, institutional capacity building, environmental education and awareness, and strengthened regional and international cooperation.
Membership of the MCSD marks a significant step that enhances CEDARE’s contribution to sustainable development and environmental resilience in the Mediterranean. It also reflects the centre’s long-standing commitment to knowledge-based policymaking and to empowering diverse communities and sectors to achieve sustainability. We look forward to working with the MCSD and its partners toward a shared vision for a more sustainable Mediterranean future.
What are the main areas of cooperation between CEDARE and UNEP?
During COP24, CEDARE will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Dr Susan Gardner, representing UNEP/MAP, to deepen cooperation on sustainability, environmental management, data exchange, capacity building, and regional environmental protection.
The agreement covers key domains: support for UNEP/MAP’s Regional Action Plans; joint environmental assessments and reporting; natural-resource management; climate and water programmes; institutional capacity strengthening; knowledge and data sharing; and joint initiatives linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.
This partnership reinforces CEDARE’s role as a regional hub for environmental governance and highlights the complementarity between CEDARE’s scientific expertise and UNEP/MAP’s institutional mandate.
What major nature-related projects has CEDARE implemented?
One flagship project in Beheira Governorate enhanced resilience to climate change. Farmers, working through agricultural and community associations, benefited from solar-powered irrigation, improved water efficiency, higher agricultural productivity, reduced emissions, and lower water loss following land-levelling interventions.
The project also incorporated nature-based solutions, soil salinity management, and a women’s empowerment component that supported micro-enterprise development. The model has since been presented to policymakers as a replicable initiative for other regions.
Does CEDARE work on combating desertification and supporting biodiversity?
Yes. We implemented a rangeland development project in Matrouh Governorate, which helped restore vegetation cover and biodiversity across roughly 700 feddans as an initial phase. The project laid the groundwork for drafting Egypt’s first desertification law, and we also developed the integrated management plan for the protected areas of the Fayoum region.
What outcomes do you expect from COP30 in Brazil?
COP30 represents a crucial opportunity to address climate impacts, propose solutions to the economic and food-security crises facing many countries, and reach an agreement on the political and economic dimensions of climate action.
Given that industrialized nations are the largest historical contributors to emissions, COP30 will be essential in clarifying how parties intend to fulfil the Paris Agreement under exceptionally challenging global economic and political conditions.
After COP30, do you expect the world to overcome the carbon-emissions crisis?
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting developing countries in adaptation efforts remains fundamental. However, climate finance is the main obstacle.
Developing countries require USD 387 billion annually for adaptation, while only USD 21 billion was made available in 2021.
This vast gap reflects unfulfilled commitments by developed nations and underscores the urgency of a global finance mechanism, as highlighted at the Paris Summit on a “New Global Financing Pact.”
In your view, can the world move away from fossil fuels?
A just transition to clean, renewable, and green energy is essential. The aim is to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. Fossil fuels will remain part of the energy mix, but with lower-carbon technologies and a gradual shift towards renewables.
However, this transition requires international cooperation and a balanced framework that can be agreed upon at COP30.
Green energy will create vast employment opportunities, though most of these—as things currently stand—will be concentrated in developed rather than developing countries.
Short link: