Mohieldin: BUE simulation of COP27 discusses vital subjects, proves importance of collective work

22 / 10 / 2022

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Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, United Nations Climate Change High Level Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, said the British University of Egypt (BUE) simulation of the 27^th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) discussed vital subjects and showed a good awareness of students and their abilities to generate solutions.

He added that the simulation proves the importance of the collective work and collaboration which the world is in urgent need to it now in order to face different challenges including climate ones.

Mohieldin highlighted the role of simulations in enhancing the social awareness of climate issues, and how climate change represents a real threat to different development tracks, such as fighting poverty, creating job opportunities and achieving economic growth.

His remarks came during his participation in the closing session of COP27 Simulation held by BUE in cooperation with Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ministry of Youth and Sports, British Embassy in Cairo, and UNDP, with the participation of Dr Mohamed Lotfy, BUE President, Alessandro Fracassetti, Resident Representative of UNDP in Egypt, and Gareth Bayley, the British Ambassador to Cairo.

Mohieldin referred to recent international surveys that showed that 49% of people don’t believe that climate change represents a real crisis, saying that this should be changed through enhancing awareness of climate issues and their impacts on sustainable development tracks.

In this context, Mohieldin said that the world is suffering from a mistrust crisis, lack of collective work and collaboration, weak political willing in some countries; all this make the developing countries in lack of sufficient finance for climate and development action in addition to failing to get needed technology for green transition.

He stressed out the necessity of focusing on the role of private sector and NGOs in financing and implementing climate action, and dealing with finance and technology as the two main factors of the green transition and sustainable development, adding that this needs local, national, regional and international cooperation.

The climate champion said that dealing with climate issues should happen in a frame of a holistic approach that cares equally of the four aspect of climate action declared by Paris Agreement in 2015, which include mitigation, adaptation, dealing with losses and damages, and financing climate action, warning of the negative impacts of separating climate action from the other SDGs on the whole tracks of development.

During his participation in a simulation session where students represent many climate and development international organizations and stakeholders, Mohieldin stressed that the world is changing in a fast pace and this requires adopting a future sight on climate and development issues, how to deal with them, and how to find practical solutions and start implementing them immediately.

“Changing thoughts and manners on the individual, institutional and countries levels is important if we want to get results that lead to a different reality.” Mohieldin concluded.

Meanwhile, BUE President Dr Mohamed Lotfy welcomed the participation of Dr Mohieldin in the university simulation, adding that universities are the source of scientific solutions and the think tanks of the societies.

He said the BUE is doing its best to lead the role of social and civil bodies in different sectors and take their responsibility to face challenges.

Lotfy clarified that the BUE launched several activities before COP27 with the aim of increasing the awareness between students about climate issues and the importance of Egypt presidency of this very important event, saying that students’ climate knowledge widely increased during the simulation.