Egypt is looking forward to hosting the 27th edition of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in 2022 on behalf of Africa, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday.

In a pre-recorded speech recorded by the Egyptian president that was played in the World Leaders Summit on Climate Change on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, El-Sisi vowed that if Egypt hosts the COP 27 in 2022, it would be a major turning point in the global fight against climate change.

According to the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi stressed the importance of holding developed countries responsible for reducing emissions in accordance to their international obligations in the framework of the Paris Climate Accords, especially in light of the large-scale forest fires that have been prevalent globally in recent years, proving that climate change has become a concerning reality that requires immediate action.

In an indirect reference to the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, the Egyptian president also called on the necessity to deal firmly with any unilateral actions that contribute to exacerbating the consequences of climate change, particularly establishing dams on transboundary rivers without coming to an agreement with downstream countries on the filing and operation policies of the dams in the framework of adapting to climate change and its impact on Africa, which suffer from water scarcity, drought, land desertification, and food shortages.

El-Sisi also emphasised the importance of the upcoming session of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, claiming that it could produce tangible results in terms of financing climate action and its mechanisms in a way that contributes to strengthening climate action in developing countries and raises awareness towards climate change.