"The region (Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East) is among the areas most affected by the consequences of climate change and its devastating effects on all levels and this has become tangibly clear over the past few years, which have witnessed severe climatic events in the region, ranging from wildfires, to floods and torrential rain, which left formidable human and material losses," El-Sisi told COP27, held through 18 November in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The Egyptian president made his remarks at a summit for the heads of state of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Climate Change Initiative (EMME-CCI), which is being held on the second day of the World Leaders Summit at COP27.

In his speech, El-Sisi stated that Egypt had been keen to join the EMME-CCI since it was launched by Cyprus in 2019.

"You may agree with me that voluntary initiatives to mobilise support for efforts to combat climate change have become one of the most important mechanisms for global climate action," he said, adding that it has become clear that in spite of the primary responsibility of states and governments in this effort, non-state actors could and should play complementary and supportive roles based on their responsibilities and the principle of cooperation and participation.

The EMME-CCI is distinguished from other initiatives by an adherence to the best science available, which is an indispensable element to combat climate change.

"This places us on the right path toward the implementation of the Paris Agreement goals, including the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius," he added.

The Egyptian president stated he looked forward to learning in the meeting about what the initiative has been able to achieve since its launch as well as to hearing from the various experiences and expertise of the initiative's member states with regard to their efforts to address climate change at the national and regional levels.

According to the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, who also spoke at the summit, the EMME-CCI aims to develop an action plan to address climate change and advance mitigation efforts in accordance with the Paris Agreement.