The Minister of Planning and Economic Development Participates in The National Environment Day 2024

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, participated, today, in the  National Environment Day 2024, held by the Ministry of Environment under the slogan "Egypt on its Path Towards Green," which coincides this year with 25 years of industrial pollution control program.  The event was attended by Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, several ministers, development partners, and representatives of international organizations.

 

During her speech, Dr. Hala El-Said clarified that the National Environment Day celebration honors the concrete efforts and tireless work of the Ministry of Environment in raising environmental awareness and consolidating Egyptian environment preservation action while indicating the fruitful cooperation and partnership between the Ministries of Planning and Economic Development and the Ministry of Environment to strengthen the State's efforts to integrate environmental and climate dimensions into sustainable development plans, as well as the close cooperation between the two ministries in the implementation of a large number of projects and initiatives in support of the protection of the Egyptian environment and the integration of the two ministries' efforts to stimulate private investment in the environmental and green transition fields, which has become a major orientation of the Egyptian state.

 

El-Said noted that the integration of the environmental and climate dimensions into the State's plans for sustainable development is a general direction of the Egyptian State that the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development takes part in its implementation through the cooperation with all Egyptian ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of the Environment. She further highlighted that the environmental dimension is considered one of the primary goals of the updated version of Egypt Vision 2030, which includes reaching "An integrated and sustainable ecosystem" as part of its strategic goals, reflecting the attention that the State is offering to the preserve the rights of future generations.

 

El-Said stressed the State's endeavors to transform this strategic objective into development projects on the ground through the launch and adoption of the Environmental Sustainability Standards Manual 2021, in a close fruitful cooperation between the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, which sets out general and indicative standards aimed at integrating sustainable development and equity standards in development plans, to maximize the return on public investment and the return on development, and to improve the quality of life of citizens. She followed up with the results of turning the investment plan green and increasing the percentage of green public investments in the plan from 15% in 2020/2021 to 40% in the current year (2023/2024), and then to 50% of total public investment by 24/2025, noting that the State is also seeking to enforce those standards on the private sector to enhance the State's direction towards green transformation.

 

El-Said added that since the human component and the presence of qualified cadres are the main basis and pillar for the implementation of development plans, the State is keen to qualify and build the necessary capacities to achieve those developmental and environmental objectives, by strengthening the capacity of officials working on the investment plan in different ministries and training them on environmental sustainability standards, to develop an operational framework for the application of the environmental sustainability standards manual as well as expanding the initiative "Be an ambassador" (Government Planning Officers class) titled, "Greening Public Investment."

 

Furthermore, El-Said stressed that the state works to link the different planning levels with the national strategies. The investment plan aims to implement the Egyptian National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS) 2050 by guiding public investments to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, By directing some 410 billion pounds to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate changes in the 2022/23 investment plan, of which 78% are directed towards the mitigation of the effects of climate change, 22% is aimed towards projects working on the acclimate to these changes; explaining that this trend is implemented through many projects in various sectors, including the electric train project, monorail, and wind power plants in the Gulf of Suez.

 

El-Said pointed out the launch of the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects around the republic, a pioneering initiative in the field of localizing sustainable development and dealing with the environmental dimension and the effects of climate change. The initiative has been implemented for two consecutive sessions under the auspices of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, in close cooperation with ministries and stakeholders, including the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Local Development, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of International Cooperation, and the National  Council for women.

 

Regarding the ongoing cooperation between the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the Ministry of Environment for the implementation of projects and initiatives supporting climate protection, Dr. Hala El-Said addressed major projects including the Greater Cairo Air Pollution Management and Climate Change Project, executed by a number of ministries and national authorities, aiming to reduce air and climate emissions from critical sectors in the Greater Cairo region, and enhances the optimum management capacity to face air pollution following the Egypt Vision 2030, and The Government Action Program “Egypt Takes Off.” In addition to cleaning and rehabilitating the Kitchener Drain, the largest waste treatment and recycling plant in Egypt, serving more than 11 million citizens in 182 villages. And the cooperation in executing the Presidential Initiative 100 Million Trees launched in 2022 for 7 years (to end in 2029). Na Finally, the development of the National Integrated Solid Waste Management Program where the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the Ministry of Environment cooperate in offering the required financial allocations needed for the infrastructure implemented all over the country. 

 

In view of the cooperation between the two ministries within the framework of the state to stimulate private investment in the environment sector and green transformation, El-Said stressed that the efforts of the two ministries, along with the rest of the state bodies, to encourage the private sector to fuel the Egyptian green transformation process, to enhance the role of the private sector in the different development sectors, especially the green investments. Also, she clarifies that the state thrives to create a proper legislative and institutional environment in hopes of creating a climate capable of attracting local and foreign investment towards different fields, notably the green transformation field. 

 

 

El-Said highlighted that in order to ameliorate the investment climate, the execution of the first round of the National Economic and Social Reform Program started in November 2016, to complement these efforts by supporting the business environment and strengthening the role of the private sector as one of the main pillars of Egypt's national structural reform program launched by the State in April 2021, which aims at restructuring the Egyptian economy to diversify the productive structure by focusing on the real sectors of the economy. Also, she added that the program includes some other pillars to support the transformation towards the green economy, and maintaining the sustainable use of natural resources, together with increasing the efficiency and flexibility of the labor market and developing technical education and vocational training systems.

 

Dr. El-Said noted that the approval of the Supreme Investment Council for many critical decisions in the investment file including a number of procedural facilities and the adoption of an incentives package in support of investment in several sectors and enterprises, comes as a confirmation of the State's eagerness to invest. Furthermore,  she pointed out that the establishment of "The National Council for Green Hydrogen and its Derivatives", chaired by the Prime Minister, emphasizes the commitment of the State to stimulate investment in green hydrogen and its derivatives, in line with the requirements of sustainable development and the State's economic and social development plans, and to ensure its competitiveness at the international and regional levels.

 

Moreover, El-Said stressed the State’s eagerness to attract investment to several priority sectors including the transfer and localization of technology, in the forefront, new and renewable energy programs, like the green hydrogen and green fuel projects in general, and agricultural projects which include the use of technology and modern irrigation, indicating the Cabinet's approval of several tax incentives for investment projects in the electricity and renewable energy sector, as well as the number of monetary incentives and other financial facilities proposed for green hydrogen projects and derivatives.

 

El-Said also mentioned the establishment of Egypt's Sovereign Fund for Investment and Development in 2018 as one of the mechanisms to strengthen partnership with domestic and foreign private sector, which launched Africa's first integrated green hydrogen production plant and emerging markets in partnership with a number of global companies, as well as the signing of 9 framework agreements in the field of green hydrogen and green ammonia, in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding with Aqua Power on a joint investment of $1.5 billion wind project with a capacity of 1.1 GW in the Gulf of Suez. By 2026, the project is planned to contribute 1.1 gigawatts in the Gulf of Suez region to power over 1 million households and avoid 2.4 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.

 

Also, El-Said referred to the announcement of Egypt's sovereign fund, with technical support from the Central Unit for Engagement with the Private Sector of the Ministry of Finance, About the prequalification of 17 alliances to invite them to participate in tenders to implement seawater desalination plant projects to be submitted to the private sector, as well as the ratification of the launch of the first Egyptian entity to invest in projects that issue EgyCOP carbon certificates and the Fund's participation in this project is being studied which is in line with the country's efforts to develop its carbon Market by launching Africa's first voluntary carbon market on the sidelines of the COP27 Conference.

 

El-Said stressed that the Fund was working to follow global best practices in the rehabilitation of old buildings. For example, the Tahrir Complex building and the former Ministry of Interior headquarters would be converted into multi-use buildings to serve as models for applying the concept of voluntary reuse as well as the best standards for green buildings in the heart of the city center.

 

Finally, El-Said affirmed her pride in the close cooperation between the Ministries of Planning and Economic Development and  Environment to protect Egypt's environment, promote environmental action, and stimulate environmental investment within the framework of the serious orientation of the Egyptian State towards integrating environmental and climate dimensions into the State's plans for sustainable development, both in Egypt Vision 2030 in medium-term and annual development plan, along with working together to promote the role of the private sector in the green transformation of Egypt's economy.