11 CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY IN THE ARAB REGION
319
Climate Change Policy in Egypt
Role in the UNFCCC
Egypt, the most populous Arab country, is known for its well-trained
diplomats. In the UN climate negotiations too, Egypt often takes on a
coordinating role for one of its peer groups. In 2018, Egypt acted as
the Chair of the G-77/China in the UN and UNFCCC, and in 2019,
Egypt held the seat of the chair of the African Group of climate change
negotiators in the UNFCCC. 68
Egypt also often acts as an issue coordinator of the Arab Group and
has in the past coordinated for the entire group. Abdel Gelil has observed
that Egypt has played ‘a mediating role within the Arab group between
the oil exporters led by [Saudi Arabia] and the most vulnerable countries
such as Sudan and Morocco’. 69
In his study of Egyptian climate change policy in the 1990s and 2000s,
Abdel Gelil explains changes in Egypt’s participation in the UNFCCC
through shifts in cabinet and environmental authorities’ leadership, as well
as institutional capacity. In the first part of the 1990s, due to low capacity
at of the environmental authorities and a perception that climate change
‘was mainly an energy issue’, the Ministry of Petroleum was delegated as
the lead in the negotiations. 70
In the second half of the 1990s, policy leadership shifted to environmental authorities and Egypt emerged as an active negotiator, providing
legal support to the Arab Group and coordinating with the African
Group. In this period, Abdel Gelil has identified two sub-groups within
the Arab Group: ‘hard-liners’, or oil-producing countries led by Saudi
Arabia, which perceived climate change as a ‘plot’ to harm their
economies; and those ‘most vulnerable to climate change’, including
Egypt, Sudan and Morocco, which sought to ‘push the negotiations
process forward in order to address climate change risks’. 71
A similar dynamic in the 1990s was also present in an Arab League
committee that was assigned the task of following the evolution of climate
science. Saudi Arabia—as opposed to Egypt, for example—sought to
focus attention primarily to response measures. Another Arab League
committee, ‘the OAPEC committee’, was also formed in this period
to ‘protect the economic interests of… Arab oil producers’ in the
negotiations. 72
In the run-up to the 2009 Copenhagen conference, Egypt emerged
again as an active player in the negotiations, with a broader set of
319
Climate Change Policy in Egypt
Role in the UNFCCC
Egypt, the most populous Arab country, is known for its well-trained
diplomats. In the UN climate negotiations too, Egypt often takes on a
coordinating role for one of its peer groups. In 2018, Egypt acted as
the Chair of the G-77/China in the UN and UNFCCC, and in 2019,
Egypt held the seat of the chair of the African Group of climate change
negotiators in the UNFCCC. 68
Egypt also often acts as an issue coordinator of the Arab Group and
has in the past coordinated for the entire group. Abdel Gelil has observed
that Egypt has played ‘a mediating role within the Arab group between
the oil exporters led by [Saudi Arabia] and the most vulnerable countries
such as Sudan and Morocco’. 69
In his study of Egyptian climate change policy in the 1990s and 2000s,
Abdel Gelil explains changes in Egypt’s participation in the UNFCCC
through shifts in cabinet and environmental authorities’ leadership, as well
as institutional capacity. In the first part of the 1990s, due to low capacity
at of the environmental authorities and a perception that climate change
‘was mainly an energy issue’, the Ministry of Petroleum was delegated as
the lead in the negotiations. 70
In the second half of the 1990s, policy leadership shifted to environmental authorities and Egypt emerged as an active negotiator, providing
legal support to the Arab Group and coordinating with the African
Group. In this period, Abdel Gelil has identified two sub-groups within
the Arab Group: ‘hard-liners’, or oil-producing countries led by Saudi
Arabia, which perceived climate change as a ‘plot’ to harm their
economies; and those ‘most vulnerable to climate change’, including
Egypt, Sudan and Morocco, which sought to ‘push the negotiations
process forward in order to address climate change risks’. 71
A similar dynamic in the 1990s was also present in an Arab League
committee that was assigned the task of following the evolution of climate
science. Saudi Arabia—as opposed to Egypt, for example—sought to
focus attention primarily to response measures. Another Arab League
committee, ‘the OAPEC committee’, was also formed in this period
to ‘protect the economic interests of… Arab oil producers’ in the
negotiations. 72
In the run-up to the 2009 Copenhagen conference, Egypt emerged
again as an active player in the negotiations, with a broader set of