Turkey's embassy in Cairo and Egyptian youth organisation Youth Loves Egypt (YLE) hosted a climate dialogue on Tuesday with around 130 representatives from government, parliament, civil society, academia, media, the private sector, and the diplomatic corps. The event, titled "Jisr - Climate Bridge", was held at the residence of Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen. The dialogue focused on youth participation in climate policy and the implementation of existing climate commitments.
Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen stressed the need for young people to take an active role in shaping and implementing climate policies. He said climate change requires shared responsibility and international cooperation. Şen also outlined Turkey's priorities for its COP31 presidency, which it is carrying out in partnership with Australia. He mentioned that efforts under the Antalya Summit were centred on three elements: dialogue, consensus, and action.
Şen emphasized that the focus should shift from setting new targets at international conferences to translating existing commitments into action in fields, industries, and cities, to make COP31 an "implementation COP." Australian Ambassador to Egypt Joel Macgregor and YLE founder and president Ahmed Fathy also spoke at the opening. A Turkish embassy representative presented Turkey's COP31 priorities, while participants were introduced to the "Arab Youth Declaration", prepared in coordination with YLE.
The event featured a panel titled "Road to COP31" on climate policy, sustainability, and preparations for the UN climate conference. The panel included former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Aty; Mahmoud Fathallah, director of the Environment and Meteorology Department at the League of Arab States; Karim Morsi, a former adviser to Egypt's minister of environment and climate change; and Dalia Abdel-Kader, head of sustainability at Commercial International Bank (CIB).
Participants later worked in groups to discuss climate-related issues and exchange proposals. The programme also included a photo exhibition "One Flyway, Two Shores", documenting the migratory routes of birds along a flyway stretching from the Istanbul Strait, or Bosphorus, to the Red Sea coast. This exhibition was part of the climate dialogue event held at the Turkish ambassador's residence.
The climate dialogue event in Cairo is part of Turkey's efforts to engage with various stakeholders ahead of COP31. Turkey is working in partnership with Australia to prioritize climate action and implementation of existing commitments. The event demonstrated the importance of international cooperation and youth participation in addressing climate change.
The "Jisr - Climate Bridge" dialogue event in Cairo brought together representatives from various sectors to discuss climate action and Turkey's priorities for COP31. The event highlighted the need for shared responsibility and international cooperation to address climate change. Key stakeholders emphasized the importance of translating existing commitments into action to achieve meaningful results.
Key points
- Turkey's COP31 presidency prioritizes implementation of existing climate commitments.
- Youth participation is crucial in shaping and implementing climate policies.
- International cooperation is essential for addressing climate change.
