Egyptian Foreign Minister elected COP27 President, ‘loss and damage’ funding included in Conference agenda for first time

Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, has been elected President of the Conference of Parties (COP) 27 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Shoukry was elected by the parties during the opening plenary on Sunday in the city of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

NewsClick Nigeria, an accredited media delegate for the Conference reports that COP27 began in the Egyptian city on Sunday and would last until Nov. 18, where issues bordering on how to address the impact of climate change take a front burner.

In his address after the election, the newly-elected president called on countries to show faith in multilateralism over the next two weeks as they negotiate to deliver on the goals of the Climate Convention and the Paris Agreement.

“It comes as no surprise to anyone that the COP is being held this year in a world which is witnessing political turmoil that cast a long shadow on all our nations and has resulted in energy and food crises.

“However, these challenges should be no reason for delaying our collective effort to fight climate change.

“It is inherent on us all in Sharm El Sheikh to demonstrate our recognition of the magnitude of the challenges we face and our steadfast resolve to overcome it,” Shoukry said to climate envoys and delegates at what is considered to be one of the largest COPs ever in terms of attendance.

The Egyptian minister asserted that the host country made sure that COP27 would provide the optimum setting to align and converge multiple views, as well as facilitate transparent, inclusive and fruitful discussion, to ensure the most positive outcome achievable.

He acknowledged the challenging economic and geopolitical factors, but noted, however, that external circumstances should not be allowed to negatively affect the negotiating process.

The president added that as a COP hosted in Africa, it must consider the needs of the developing countries and ensure climate justice through availing the appropriate finance and other means of implementation.

This, he said, is necessary as African countries are the most affected by climate change.

The new COP president acknowledged the tireless efforts of his predecessor, COP26 President, Alok Sharma, and commended him and his team for their efforts and dedication with everything they achieved in hosting COP26.

He commended the outcomes and agreements their work helped to secure, reiterating the commitment of the Egyptian Presidency to deliver on an impactful and inclusive COP.

NewsClick Nigeria reports that the Conference of the Parties adopted its agenda, and for the first time since the adoption of the UN climate convention, parties agreed to introduce loss and damage funding as an agenda item at the climate conference.

Loss and damage refer to the destructive impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided either by mitigation or adaptation.