Egypt’s flagship NWFE programme and the Sharm El-Sheikh Guide for Just Financing have been placed at the centre of a new international roadmap to scale climate investment in developing countries, according to a report released by the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance (IHLEG) during the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
The report outlines a pathway to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to meet the climate investment needs of developing economies, responding to a joint request from the COP29 and COP30 presidencies.
First national climate platform
IHLEG described Egypt’s NWFE platform for water, food and energy projects, launched in 2022, as the first national platform that explicitly integrates investment across interlinked priority sectors. It noted that NWFE has since become a reference point for other developing economies seeking to align national strategies with global climate priorities. Countries such as Turkey, Brazil and Bangladesh have drawn inspiration from the Egyptian model.
The report highlighted several lessons from NWFE and similar national platforms, emphasising that multi-sector design and strong national ownership are essential to credibility, investment mobilisation, and long-term sustainability. It stressed that platforms must be driven by national priorities—not donor agendas—to build trust and ensure continuity.
The report added that project quality remains a decisive factor in attracting investment. It emphasised that starting with a focused platform before expanding supports capacity building and more effective implementation over time.
Egypt and global climate action
Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Rania El-Mashat said that in just three years, NWFE has evolved into a global model championed by international institutions for replication in developing countries.
She noted that the platform has secured $4.5 billion in climate investments for renewable energy projects totalling 5.2 GW. On the other hand, projects with power purchase agreements have reached 8.8 GW out of a targeted 10 GW. Most financing, she emphasised, has been channelled to the private sector, enabling Egypt to advance its nationally determined contributions and expand access to innovative and blended finance—including grants, debt swaps, private investment, and concessional finance.
El-Mashat added that Egypt is currently sharing its experience with several countries seeking to establish similar platforms, reinforcing South–South cooperation.
Sharm El-Sheikh Guide
The IHLEG report also emphasised the increasing importance of the Sharm El-Sheikh Guide for Just Financing, launched during COP27. It described the Guide as a key framework for integrating fairness into the design and allocation of climate finance.
The guide lays out 12 principles that ensure more equitable financing for developing and emerging economies. These include:
• Upholding the right of developing countries to development and industrialisation through fair pathways aligned with the Paris Agreement.
• Ensuring coherence between global climate goals and national development priorities on both mitigation and adaptation.
• Supporting governments in creating enabling environments through strengthened institutional, technical, and financial capacities.
• Embedding the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in climate finance structures.
• Establishing clear implementation mechanisms within international climate finance frameworks.
Egypt’s climate leadership
Egypt launched the NWFE national platform and the Sharm El-Sheikh Guide for Just Financing during COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh. Both initiatives have since gained international recognition for their practical, investment-driven approach to accelerating climate action in developing countries.
The new IHLEG report places NWFE and the Sharm El-Sheikh Guide at the forefront of the global climate finance agenda. Hence, the report reflects a renewed global acknowledgement of Egypt’s growing leadership in shaping equitable, sector-integrated, and nationally owned climate solutions.
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