By Manal Abdel Fattah
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Egypt, Kim Young-hyun, met with Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, today, to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the environmental sector.
According to a statement issued by the Korean Embassy in Cairo, Ambassador Kim pointed out that Egypt has proven its leadership to the world through its successful hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in 2022 and its significant contribution to confronting the global challenges of climate change.
Ambassador Kim praised Minister Fouad for leading Egypt’s efforts in implementing various innovative environmental policies including reforming the waste management system and introducing green bonds.
Ambassador Kim presented the Korean government’s recent contributions to combating climate change, including the pledge to provide an additional $300 million to the Global Climate Fund announced by President Yeon Suk-yeol on the occasion of the G20 summit in New Delhi last September.
Ambassador Kim stressed that the inaugural Korea-Africa summit expected this year will serve as a great impetus for Egyptian-Korean cooperation in enhancing Africa’s capabilities in dealing with climate change.
Ambassador Kim said that he is happy that bilateral cooperation between Korea and Egypt in the environmental sector is active, especially in the field of “converting waste to energy (W2E). Previously, the Korean company JST succeeded in establishing solid waste treatment facilities that can convert solid waste into waste-derived fuel ( RDF) in Sohag, Minya and Mahalla.
This year, the Korean Ministry of Environment, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, will also launch a new project focusing on technology transfer in the W2E sector through an $8 million project that will be implemented in the period from 2024 to 2026, and the Korean side will build a W2E facility and technology transfer center in Cairo. And sharing Korean knowledge and experiences in the region.
Minister Fouad said that she appreciated the Korean government’s cooperation in various projects and discussed Egypt’s efforts to create environmentally friendly infrastructure to build a “circular economy” in the country, adding that she looked forward to more Korean companies looking for investment opportunities in Egypt in the field of the environment.
Ambassador Kim and Minister Fouad agreed that they will continue to work together to support ongoing bilateral projects and explore new projects of mutual interest in the environmental sector.
