Egypt’s acting environment minister Manal Awad said on Saturday that the ministerial declaration issued after the second meeting of the Middle East Green Initiative’s ministerial council reaffirmed member states’ commitment to strengthen regional cooperation to combat land degradation, halt desertification and boost resilience to drought. Awad said the meeting, chaired by Saudi Environment Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli in Jeddah, brought together council members from 30 countries. She also highlighted an announcement by the Arab Coordination Group pledging $12 billion by 2030 to support global projects aimed at restoring degraded lands and strengthening resilience to drought and desertification. The declaration stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation with regional and international organisations, as well as the key role of the private sector, financial institutions and civil society in addressing land degradation and drought challenges, Awad said. The declaration also approved rotating the council’s presidency among regional member states in Africa and Asia starting in 2027, and welcomed Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Syria as new regional members of the initiative.

Source: Daily News Egypt January 31, 2026 18:34 UTC