Egypt’s Ministry of Local Development and Environment is developing local climate action plans for Qena and Kafr El-Sheikh governorates through 2035, including adaptation and emissions-reduction projects that could be linked to international climate finance.
Local Development and Environment Minister Manal Awad discussed the proposed plans during a virtual meeting with the governors of Qena and Kafr El-Sheikh.
The project, implemented in cooperation with the German development agency GIZ, the National Solid Waste Management Programme and the European Union’s Green Initiative, aims to integrate climate action into local development and investment planning rather than treating it as a separate policy track.
The proposed plans include measures to protect key sectors and public services from climate risks, improve energy and water efficiency, support climate-smart agriculture and the circular economy, and strengthen governance, data-sharing and monitoring systems.
They will also include a 2026-2035 solid waste management roadmap and identify financing needs for mitigation and adaptation measures. Potential funding sources include the Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, Adaptation Fund, European Union, international banks and development agencies, alongside government programmes and private-sector investment.
Awad called for the preparation of a priority list of implementable projects that could attract international climate finance and reduce pressure on local and state budgets.
She also stressed the need to strengthen environmental departments in the two governorates and train staff to implement climate measures, while noting ongoing coordination with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development to incorporate climate-related investments into governorate investment plans.
Project teams are expected to visit Qena and Kafr El-Sheikh during August to advance the plans. The ministry is also considering updating Giza Governorate’s climate action plan, originally prepared with GIZ in 2017, with a view to implementing it alongside the plans for Qena and Kafr El-Sheikh.
