EGYPT: $6.2m from UNDP to transform Sharm el-Sheikh into a green city
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is granting $6.2 million to the Egyptian government to finance the transformation of Sharm el-Sheikh into a green city by 2028. This support will allow for the development of green infrastructure in the seaside city, which will host the 27th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) in November 2022.
The project aims at rationalising resource consumption while focusing on water desalination, increasing the frequency of recycling and energy recovery from waste, as well as installing solar panels, charging stations for electric vehicles and a mechanism on green hotel standards to promote sustainable tourism in the North African country.
According to the UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt, the project, which relies on nature-based solutions, will shape one of the first green cities in the Arab world. “UNDP is supporting a plastic-free campaign to ban the use of single-use plastics. We are also supporting 19 protected areas in Egypt to turn them into ecotourism destinations,” says Alessandro Fracassetti.