The committee will be presided over by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and will comprise a number of ministers and other officials, a statement by the cabinet said, adding that the committee’s first meeting will be held soon.

Madbouly said in the statement that holding the summit in Egypt presents an opportunity to highlight the country’s ability to organise such high-profile international events.

Alok Sharma, the UK’s president of the recently concluded Glasgow COP26, has handed over to Egypt the presidency of the summit.

In preparation for the event, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has ordered the upgrading of Sharm El-Sheikh's roads and services as well as the conversion of public transport there to operate on natural gas instead of diesel fuel.

In a speech delivered to the COP26 earlier this month, President El-Sisi called on developed countries to fulfil their pledge to provide $100 billion annually to developing countries to address the effects of climate change.

The president also vowed that Egypt would seek to enhance international climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement during the country’s presidency of the COP27.

The Paris Climate Accords — adopted at COP21 and signed by over 190 states, including Egypt — came into effect in 2016 with the aim of reducing the rate of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in this century.

El-Sisi said strengthening climate action to achieve this rate has become “imperative and undeferrable.”

Egypt is growing more concerned about climate change, as it faces losing 12 to 15 percent of the total area of the Nile Delta in an expected rise in the Mediterranean Sea’s water level and the intrusion of saline water.

Climate change has also led to longer heat waves that are having a negative impact on the country’s food crops and water supply.