Green Hurghada: Advancing Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Conservation – After the success of the “Green Sharm El Sheikh” experiment that was implemented during the preparation for Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 climate conference in November 2022, the Ministry of Environment signed the “Green Hurghada” project agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Program “UNIDO”, funded by the Global Environment Facility, with investments of more than 3 million Green Hurghada”… a project to achieve green recovery and sustainable growth in the tourism sector and disseminate smart climate technology
Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, witnessed the signing of the “Green Hurghada” project agreement between the United Nations Industrial Development Program (UNIDO) and the Environmental Affairs Agency. The agreement was signed by Dr. Ali Abu Sunna, President of The Environmental Affairs Agency, Patrick Gilbert, Director of the Regional Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Program in Egypt (UNIDO), Ahmed Rizk, Deputy Representative of the Program in the Regional Office, and Engineer Jihan Bayoumi, UNIDO Representative, in the presence of leaders of the Ministry of Environment.
Dr. Yasmine Fouad confirmed that the project builds on the successful experience of working to transform the city of Sharm El Sheikh into a green city during the preparation for Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 climate conference, as it aims to support measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and preserve biodiversity in the coastal area of Hurghada through… Mainstreaming climate-smart technology and biodiversity conservation practices into the infrastructure of the tourism, energy, and transport sectors.
The Minister of Environment indicated that the project is being implemented in cooperation between the Ministry of Environment on behalf of the Egyptian government, and the UNIDO program as the implementing agency for the Global Environment Facility, where the Ministry is responsible for establishing the Project Steering Committee (PSC), supervising the implementation of project activities, and coordinating the work and participation of ministries and agencies at the level. National, and provide strategic support to achieve the project objectives. The Global Environment Facility and the UNIDO program will also contribute to the preparation of project follow-up studies, including assessing the national situation and preparing the necessary studies and reports.
She pointed out that the project comes within the framework of extended cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Program (UNIDO), not only in the field of supporting environmental compatibility in industry, but in many other areas within the framework of Egypt’s green transformation plan, through cooperation over the past years in Several projects have become inspiring success stories, including the energy efficiency improvement project, the Montreal Protocol project for substances that deplete the ozone layer, the preparation of environmental investment strategies and the bio-based economy, and the sustainable green industry project in Egypt.
For his part, Patrick Gilbert, Regional Director of the UNIDO Program in Egypt, expressed his happiness with the signing of the Green Hurghada Project agreement in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, which affects one of the most valuable and vital industries in Egypt, which is the tourism industry, considering that Egypt is one of the most important tourist destinations on the continent, and is considered an African country. Highest rated in terms of its attractiveness in developing the tourism sector, which makes this sector a significant contributor to the domestic product and an important source of job opportunities.
The project aims to promote the development of a more sustainable and resilient tourism industry that stimulates local social and economic development in an integrated manner, by addressing important areas, including encouraging investment in environmental, economic, and social sustainability, sustainable tourism practices, and policies for the impact of tourism and fishing activities on biodiversity, including Develop a strategic environmental assessment, and mitigate the effects of climate change and air pollution through a dedicated program of technical assistance, technology development, and investment stimulation.
The project includes developing strategic policy frameworks to achieve green recovery and sustainable growth in the tourism sector and other sectors affecting Hurghada and linking the green recovery plan to financial support mechanisms and climate investments by promoting green technology investments to mitigate emissions and reduce the degradation of marine ecosystems, and improve the economic competitiveness of the sector. Tourism, along with working to ensure long-term environmental and economic sustainability of low-carbon infrastructure, investments in biodiversity, and monitoring and evaluation.
Spanning five years, the project aligns with the COVID-19 recovery plans and aims to implement sustainable technology applications and encourage green investments in Hurghada’s tourism sector, according to a social media post by UNIDO Egypt. Additionally, it will raise awareness about biodiversity conservation.
Green Hurghada: Advancing Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Conservation
