23-07-2025
Egypt at the helm of the UNCCD - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
Yasmine Fouad has resigned as minister of environment to become executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli accepted the resignation of Yasmine Fouad from her post as minister of environment this week, assigning Manal Awad, minister of local development, to temporarily assume the duties, in addition to her current role, until a new minister is appointed.
Fouad's resignation comes after UN Secretary-General António Guterres selected her in May as the new executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The selection was made in consultation with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention. Fouad succeeds Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania.
Of Fouad's appointment to the UN office, Madbouli had earlier said it reflects international confidence in Egyptian expertise and its capacity to contribute to efforts in tackling environmental challenges.
Fouad has served as Egypt's minister of environment since 2018, and during her tenure a framework was established to encourage private-sector engagement and integrate environmental sustainability into national investment strategies.
She has over 27 years of experience in environmental governance, global environmental issues, and international climate diplomacy. She has overseen plans for sustainable development, linking them to national priorities and global environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and transboundary water governance.
Internationally, Fouad chaired the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP14) from 2018 to 2021. From 2021 to 2022, she served as ministerial coordinator and envoy for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP27), held in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2022, contributing to building consensus on the Global Biodiversity Framework through 2030.
During the COP27, she promoted global initiatives on adaptation, food security, agriculture, and nature-based solutions. She also led the Presidential Global Initiative launched at the earlier COP14, which seeks to link the three Rio Conventions (UNFCCC, CBD, and UNCCD).
She has participated in climate finance negotiations at five climate conferences, representing the interests of the developing countries and seeking the collaboration of the developed countries.
At the regional level, Fouad participated in the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change in 2015 and in the African Ministers Conference on the Environment from 2015 to 2017.
She helped in the technical preparation of the African Adaptation Initiative and the African Renewable Energy Initiative. She also co-chaired the Steering Committee of the Regional Flagship Programmes under the New Partnership for Africa's Development, which addresses sustainable land management, desertification, biodiversity, and ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation.
Fouad was a visiting scholar at Columbia University's Earth Institute in the US, where she contributed to the design of Egypt's Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Adaptation and participated in the development of policy papers on climate change in the Middle East and North Africa region.
She holds a PhD in political science with a specialisation in Euro-Mediterranean Studies and a Master's degree in environmental science.
Previous executive secretaries of the UNCCD include Hama Arba Diallo, a former foreign minister of Burkina Faso, Luc Gnacadja, a former minister of environment of Benin, and French-national Monique Barbut, former CEO of the Global Environment Facility.
The UNCCD was established in 1994, with its permanent secretariat commencing operations in 1999.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 24 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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