Cyprus prepares to launch regional climate change initiative at COP27

Cyprus is in the final stages of implementing a policy that aims to mitigate the emerging challenges of climate change on a regional level, which will be presented on the sidelines of the United Nations World Summit on Climate Change COP27, taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on November 8, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Thursday.

In a speech at a press conference on the Cyprus Climate Change Initiative, he told the audience that the regional plan includes targeted initiatives in 13 thematic areas with the involvement of more than 240 scientists and technocrats from the wider region.

Anastasiades’ personal advisor and special envoy Professor Costas Papanicolas and the minister of agriculture, Costas Kadis were brought in to jointly formulate a scientifically sound regional action plan.

“The initiative of the Republic of Cyprus, after holding a series of regional meetings and two Ministerial Meetings with the establishment of an interim Secretariat, is in its final stage of implementation with concrete actions,” the president said.

The regional action plan includes 13 modules to cover areas such as health, education, research, tourism, water resources, forestry, marine environment, migration, cultural heritage, energy and technology.

The aim of the initiative is to reduce greenhouse gases and carbon emissions, steer the transition to renewable and cleaner forms of energy, encourage businesses and industries to invest in green technologies and create new employment opportunities in green jobs.

Meanwhile, the COP27 summit, will be co-chaired by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has accepted to present Cyprus’ initiative at the high-level event with a view to adopting a joint declaration with Cyprus based on the scientific findings of the initiative.

“A declaration which aims to implement the regional action plan and cross-border activities to halt the climate crisis and mitigate its devastating effects. With the assistance of all the ministries involved, especially the ministry of agriculture and the significant contribution of the Cyprus Institute, we can now boast that we have coordinated and developed an effective, scientifically based, and targeted regional action plan,” Anastasiades added.