Egypt Hopes Current Geopolitical Situation Will Not Hinder UN Climate Change Conference

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed hope on Sunday that the tense geopolitical situation will not have a negative impact on the upcoming climate change conference of the United Nations (COP27).

The 27th UN climate change conference, also known as COP27, will take place in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh from November 6-18.

"COP27 will be held amidst a global context of strong geopolitical and geo-economic tension and polarisation that we hope will not make it more difficult to tackle common global challenges, notably climate change," Shoukry told the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The minister said that all participants should honor their responsibilities and focus on the issues of climate change.

"This has been a message we’ve been sending out over the past period to all parties concerned, whether through the informal ministerial meetings that were held throughout the year or during the preparatory meeting for COP27, which was held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this month," Shoukry said, adding that the ongoing crises should not "in any way spill over" to the field of climate change.

The minister emphasized that the participants of the climate summit "should realise that the core and crux of this conference is to address the climate change challenges, and that it is not a forum to address any other issues that is not relevant to climate action."

The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 following the 21st Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris. With 193 signatories to date, it marks the first global effort in history to coordinate fight against climate change.