Photo: Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency official page
During the meeting, El-Sisi affirmed Egypt’s full confidence in Fouad's extensive expertise in tackling environmental crises and advancing international efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals amidst intensifying environmental pressures worldwide.
Fouad was appointed UN Under-Secretary-General and UNCCD Executive Secretary in May 2025, following a decision by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. She previously served as Egypt’s Minister of Environment from 2018 to 2025, playing a prominent role in Egypt’s climate diplomacy, including preparations for and follow-up to the COP27 Summit hosted in Sharm El-Sheikh.
El-Sisi stressed that Egypt would provide all necessary support to ensure Fouad’s success in carrying out her mandate within the UNCCD, which he described as the legally binding international framework for addressing desertification and the impacts of drought through multilateral cooperation and shared commitment.
For her part, Fouad expressed deep appreciation to El-Sisi, highlighting Egypt’s pivotal role and notable efforts in combating desertification, particularly through large-scale agricultural land reclamation projects, despite the significant challenge of water scarcity.
She also commended Egypt’s full compliance with the convention, including the timely submission of national reports and the adoption of voluntary land-restoration targets.
The talks also explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Egypt and the UNCCD secretariat. They also explored expanding joint initiatives and enhancing support mechanisms for states parties, particularly in Africa and the Arab region, to increase the effectiveness of the convention and support countries’ efforts to meet sustainable development goals amid growing environmental challenges.
The UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement focused specifically on combating desertification, land degradation, and drought.
Adopted in 1994 and entering into force in 1996, the convention, which has 197 parties, aims to promote sustainable land management, restore degraded land, and strengthen resilience in dryland regions, particularly in developing countries.
Egypt is an active party to the UNCCD and has placed land restoration and the fight against desertification at the centre of its national development and climate policies.
The UNCCD is a key pillar of the global environmental governance framework, contributing directly to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 15, which relates to life on land.
In December, Fouad was awarded the 2025 Medal of Recognition for Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability by the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST).
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