UN chief's call for ambition on climate gets muted response
BERLIN — (AP) — Senior government officials at a climate meeting in Copenhagen gave a muted response Tuesday to calls from the head of the United Nations for countries to show greater ambition when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He did not attend the Copenhagen meeting. Denmark's climate minister, Dan Jørgensen, said his country recently brought forward its net zero target to 2045, and aims to capture more carbon than it emits by 2050. That puts Denmark far ahead of most advanced economies, though its neighbor Germany is also targeting net zero by 2045 and Finland has said it wants to achieve that goal by 2035. The meeting in Copenhagen is one of several taking place before the U.N. climate talks in the United Arab Emirates at the end of the year.
wftv.comConfusion, finger-pointing, opposing views at Egypt's COP27
Will the demands of developing nations that rich countries compensate them for climate impacts be part of a final deal? What about calls to lower interest rates and overhaul how world financing works so that developing nations can invest in green energies? The move was welcomed by many developing countries, but its prospects were unclear. That said, many long-time observers of the annual climate conference said negotiations shouldn’t have been in such a poor state at this juncture. Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/peterprengaman___Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.
wftv.comClimate negotiators in Egypt say they remain far from a deal
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — (AP) — With only a day left in scheduled climate negotiations in Egypt, diplomats say they are far from getting something everyone can agree on, particularly in the confrontation between developed and developing nations over compensation for climate disasters. Among them was a call for developed countries to achieve “net-negative carbon emissions by 2030” — a far tougher target than any major nation has so far committed to and which would be very hard to achieve. The biggest is on a compensation fund for climate disasters, known as “loss and damage” in negotiators’ parlance. We’re not walking away without this fund,” Marshall Islands climate envoy Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner told a press panel. We need the fund now and it needs to be a fund.”The climate change minister for Pakistan echoed the call.
wftv.comHandshake sparks climate hope, but officials remain worried
SHARM EL-SHEIKH — (AP) — A handshake in lush Bali is being felt at climate talks thousands of miles away in the Egyptian desert, where lack of progress had a top United Nations official worried. After more than a week of so far fruitless climate talks, negotiators were grasping for something themselves: Hope. “Now rich countries need to play their part," said Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. India made an unexpected proposal over the weekend for this year’s climate talks to end with a call for a phase down of all fossil fuels. India was blamed at last year's climate talks for resisting a call to “phase out” coal.
wftv.comEgypt: COP27 Focus should be climate, not jailed activist
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — (AP) — The focus of the UN conference on climate change should be the negotiations to reduce emissions and not an Egyptian activist who is on a hunger and water strike, Egypt's foreign minister said Thursday. Egypt is already feeling the harsh effects of climate change itself, with rising sea levels threatening fertile lands in the Nile delta. Hosting the annual climate talks has helped Egypt recently clinch several deals to promote the roll-out of renewable energy, something Shoukry said the government is committed to pursuing further. Like many other developing countries, Egypt is also hampered by large debts that make it harder to borrow money for much-needed investments. U.S. President Joe Biden was scheduled to swing by the climate talks Friday on his way to the G-20.
wftv.comDrinks at Egypt climate talks now free, jailed activist not
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — (AP) — Drinks are on the house at this year's U.N. climate talks and the price of food will be slashed, Egypt's foreign minister said Thursday following complaints from delegates that they were struggling to get food and water during the event. Asked about the case of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, now in a prison hospital after going on hunger strike over his imprisonment, Shoukry made clear it was not a priority for him as chair of the 27th annual climate talks, known by their acronym COP27. Shoukry suggested such concerns could distract from some countries' failure to live up to their climate commitments. The Nov. 6-18 talks have moved from high-levels appeals for more climate action, heard from world leaders early in the week, to the nitty-gritty stage of negotiations. ___Follow AP's climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment___Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.
wftv.comRights group: Egypt stifles environmental work ahead of COP
BEIRUT — (AP) — An international human rights group called Monday on the United Nations to ensure that countries hosting its climate conference commit to meeting human rights standards after it documented instances of repression against environmental groups in Egypt, the host of COP27 later this year. Egypt’s government has engaged in a widespread crackdown on dissent in recent years that has detained thousands, many without trial, according to rights groups. “The UN Framework Convention member states and the Secretariat should press the Egyptian government to make sure environmental groups feel it is safe to engage in and beyond the COP." An Egyptian government media officer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Monday report from Human Rights Watch. The UN office responsible for overseeing the climate conference, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the right's group's call.
wftv.comRights group: Egypt stifles environmental work ahead of COP
A leading human rights group has called on the United Nations to ensure that countries hosting the international climate conference are meeting human rights standards after documenting instances of repression against environment activism in Egypt, this year’s host
washingtonpost.comAfrica urged to propose action on climate at conference
MOMBASA, Kenya — (AP) — Africa's nations must develop strategies to address climate change which poses an existential threat to the continent’s megacities, Gabon's President Ali Bongo Adimba said at the third Africa Climate Week conference. The third African climate meeting is bringing together more than 1,000 government officials and stakeholders in Gabon's capital Libreville. He said the “backtracking on commitments by many developed countries is a matter of concern" for many African countries. "The delayed delivery of climate finance continues to affect Africa’s efforts to contribute to the global effort against climate change,” he said. The African climate week conference will discuss other critical concerns of the continent including food security, carbon markets, climate migrants, and coastal resilience.
wftv.comRussia says it wants to end Ukraine's `unacceptable regime'
Lavrov argued that Russia was ready to negotiate a deal to end hostilities in March when Kyiv changed tack and declared its intention to rout Russia on the battlefield. “The West insists that Ukraine must not start negotiations until Russia is defeated on the battlefield,” Lavrov said. It was not yet clear when grain shipments would resume following Russia and Ukraine's signing of agreements with the United Nations and Turkey on Friday. The deals are aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. In the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive, Russian artillery struck the cities of Avdiivka, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka.
wftv.comLavrov says Russian goal to oust Ukraine's president
Russia Egypt In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gestures during a joint news conference with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, following their talks in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 24, 2022. The remark from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov comes amid Ukraine's efforts to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports, something that would help ease global food shortages, under a new deal tested by a Russian strike on Odesa over the weekend. The deals are aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. In the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive, Russian artillery struck Avdiivka, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka. In the city of Chuhuiv, a Russian strike ruined the building of a local club and rescue workers removed several people from under the debris.
wftv.comClimate summit host cautions nations against 'zero-sum game'
BERLIN — (AP) — Egypt's foreign minister called on rich and developing countries to show readiness to compromise at the U.N. climate talks he is set to chair in November, saying Tuesday that the negotiations shouldn't be a “zero-sum game” between wealthier and poorer nations. Developing countries are still waiting for rich nations to provide $100 billion in climate aid each year, a target meant to be reached by 2020. They also want to make progress on the issue of restitution for "loss and damage" caused by climate change. Developing countries have viewed the actions with suspicion. “Climate change negotiations need not be a zero-sum game between developed and developing countries,” Shoukry said.
wftv.comDavos updates | Egypt promises to push pledges as COP27 host
Switzerland Davos Forum Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry poses for media after an interview with the Associated Press at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Monday, May 23, 2022. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from May 22 until May 26, 2022. Panelists said during a World Economic Forum panel Monday in Davos that the uncertainty is rattling financial markets and complicating investment decisions for businesses. Vitali Klitschko pointed to the audience during a World Economic Forum panel Monday with his brother, Wladimir, and said, “We are defending you personally." Gelsinger said at a press roundtable on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum that “to us, this is now the No.
wftv.comEgypt promises to allow protest, push pledges as COP27 host
Their arguments could get a boost by the symbolic significance of this conference being held in Egypt, a developing nation in North Africa. Shoukry said during meetings in Denmark earlier this month around climate pledges he invited protesters who were outside to speak with him. Ahead of hosting the conference, Egypt has been racing to launch many agreements around renewable energies. In March, Egypt and Norway signed an agreement for several projects around green hydrogen and building green infrastructure projects in African countries. Follow him here: http://twitter.com/peterprengaman____Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.
wftv.comCOP27 host Egypt will push for climate goals, allow protests
Their arguments could get a boost by the symbolic significance of this conference being held in Egypt, a developing nation in North Africa. He called the meeting “productive” and that Egypt’s climate goals lined up with those of many protesters. Ahead of hosting the conference, Egypt has been racing to launch many agreements around renewable energies. In March, Egypt and Norway signed an agreement for several projects around green hydrogen and building green infrastructure projects in African countries. Follow him here: http://twitter.com/peterprengaman____Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.
wftv.comUS approves $1B arms sale to Nigeria despite rights concerns
US Egypt Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The State Department on Thursday announced the approval of the $997 million sale of 24 Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopters and related equipment to Nigeria. The related equipment includes guidance, night vision and targeting systems as well as engines and training support, the department said in a notice to Congress. The sale went ahead after a November visit to Abuja by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during which he raised concerns about Nigeria's rights record. Nigeria’s security forces have long been accused of human rights violations in their operations, with personnel involved often escaping justice.
wftv.comArab, US top diplomats in Israel as Mideast dynamic shifts
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool) (Jacquelyn Martin)SDE BOKER, Israel — (AP) — Israel on Monday hosted the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States in a bid to strengthen its position in a rapidly shifting Middle East. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the group was “making history” as he announced the gathering would become an annual event. Although Iran has since raced ahead with its nuclear program, Israel and Gulf Arab countries are deeply concerned about restoring the original deal. Underscoring regional anxieties, Israel’s government hastily arranged the meeting of top diplomats from Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel. Lapid took the Arab ministers to visit Ben-Gurion's grave, a remarkable step given the sensitivities with the Palestinians over Israel's establishment.
wftv.comUS, Egypt launch group to prepare for COP27 climate summit
Egypt US U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, second from left, chairs his delegations during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (Amr Nabil)CAIRO — (AP) — The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a joint working group to prepare for the U.N. climate change summit being held in Egypt in November, a U.S. envoy said. John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate, said the group is focused on the U.N.’s COP27 conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He said Egypt, which is chairing the summit, has already begun its preparations and set ambitious goals. In the news briefing, Kerry said they aim to implement all promises made in last year’s U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
wftv.comUS, Egypt launch group to prepare for COP27 climate summit
Egypt US U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, second from left, chairs his delegations during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (Amr Nabil)CAIRO — (AP) — The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a joint working group to prepare for the next climate change summit in November, the American envoy for climate issues said. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said the group is focused on the United Nations' COP27 conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. This is not anything to do with some of the issues” of concern for the U.S. administration, Kerry said at a news briefing in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry. Kerry said that the U.S. was also working with Egypt on its own transition to a clean energy future.
wftv.comEgypt backs federal peace deal for ethnically spit Cyprus
Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said that he conveyed to Shoukry his government’s “deep concern regarding Turkey’s increasingly revisionist and destabilizing foreign policy” in the region. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s north where it keeps more than 35,000 troops. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said a prerequisite to reviving stalled peace talks is the recognition of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state as a legitimate legal entity on par with the internationally recognized Cyprus Republic. Greek Cypriots fear a two-state deal would entrench Turkish control potentially over the entire island as well as hydrocarbon deposits off its shores. Peace talks have been at a standstill since the last bid to reach at an reunification agreement collapsed in the summer of 2017.
wftv.comUS, Egypt tackle myriad irritants in strategic talks
Egypt has long feared the project will severely impact the flow of Nile waters key to agriculture. On human rights, Blinken said the administration welcomed the launch of an Egyptian national human rights strategy but said the effort would be judged by its results. “Making tangible and lasting improvements on human rights is essential to strengthening our bilateral relationship and the United States will continue to support those efforts however we can,” he said. The U.S. has complained about Egypt’s human rights record for years and the Biden administration has withheld $130 million in military aid to the country pending improvements. ""We also believe that human rights are an interdependent whole, which necessitates that we dedicate equal attention to political rights and civil liberties and economic and social rights," he said.
wftv.comEgypt leader, Biden adviser hold talks on regional tensions
Egypt US White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, seated second right, meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and their delegations at the foreign ministry, in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) (Nariman El-Mofty)CAIRO — (AP) — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser held talks Wednesday with Egypt’s president that focused on regional tensions and the ties between Washington and its Mideast ally, the Egyptian leader’s office said. The meeting in Cairo with Jake Sullivan came as the Biden administration presses Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government to stop his crackdown on dissent. The U.S. announced earlier this month it would withhold $130 million in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns. The Biden administration sees the dam dispute as potential flashpoint in the turbulent Horn of Africa but has sought to take a back seat to the African Union in finding a resolution.
wftv.comMediating in Gaza conflict, Egypt seeks broader influence
Egypt Israel Palestinians Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, right, meets with Palestinian Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmad at the foreign ministry in Cairo, Thursday, May 20, 2021. It’s the latest instance in which Egypt has served as a mediator between Israel and Gaza’s ruling militant Hamas group. Egypt borders both Israel and the Gaza Strip, and has been a key player since Israel withdrew troops from Gaza in 2005 and Hamas seized the territory in 2007. A diplomatic win could also gain Egypt some regional prestige in its rivalries, including with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Shaath is the son of Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
wftv.comUS: Human rights will be 'central' to relations with Egypt
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration on Tuesday told Egypt that human rights will be “central” to its policy in dealing with the key Arab state and major American partner in the Middle East. It was not immediately clear how the new emphasis on human rights would manifest itself. The Trump administration had largely given Egypt's leadership a pass on human rights. Ad“The secretary raised concerns over human rights, which he emphasized would be central to the U.S.-Egypt bilateral relationship, and Egypt’s potential procurement of Su-35 fighter aircraft from Russia,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. However, rights groups accused authorities of targeting families of activists and rights defenders living abroad, in an apparent attempt to intimidate critics.
Greece, Egypt seeks Biden role in East Mediterranean dispute
Greece and Egypt are at odds with Turkey in a volatile maritime boundary dispute in the eastern Mediterranean over rights to search for and exploit natural gas deposits. The dispute between Greece and Turkey triggered a major military buildup over the summer that raised concerns of military confrontation. In August, Greece and Egypt signed a maritime deal demarcating the two countries’ maritime boundaries and setting out respective exclusive economic zones for the exploitation of resources such as oil and gas drilling. The agreement, which remains partial, angered Turkey, which has accused Greece of trying to grab an unfair share of resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece, Cyprus and Egypt widely criticized the deal between Ankara and Tripoli, saying it infringed on their economic rights.