Cairo Climate Talks invited Ms. Camilla Bausch, Ecologic Institute, and Mr. Mohamed Nasr, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss the outcome of Durban conference on Climate Change on the 20th of January 2011. The morning session was held at Cairo House in Fustat, and the evening session at the DAAD premises in Zamalek. Durban COP 17 was described as a good step; yet more work needs to be done to agree on the details.

Cairo Climate Talks held its first experts’ roundtable on the „Outcomes of the Climate Change conference in Durban (COP17) and its implications for Egypt“. The two keynote speakers were Mr. Mohamed Nasr, First Secretary, Office of Deputy Assistant Minister for Environmental Affairs and Sustainable Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Camilla Bausch, Senior Management, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute, Germany. The event was split in two rounds: the first was held as an experts’ workshop at the Cairo House and moderated by Mr. Samir Tantawi, Mitigation Manager at the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). The second round was held as an event for the broader public at the premises of the DAAD pm and moderated by Dr. Ezzat Lewis, Head of the Climate change Central Department and director of the National Ozone Unit. The aim of the event was to highlight and discuss the main outcomes of The United Nations Climate Change Conference which took place from 28th November – 12th December 2011 in Durban, South Africa. The guests spoke in four sessions that covered topics like the future regime; financing and new market mechanisms. The Conference of Parties COP 17 was described as a good step in the Climate change negotiations, because there was agreement on a second commitment in Kyoto Protocol, although countries like the United States did not join. But the European Union is committing itself to a second agreement which sets an international example, Mrs. Bausch said. Yet there needs more work to be done in the next phase, especially to negotiate details funding and mechanisms of the Green Climate Fund, which will enhance green economy projects. Although members of the civil society might be disappointed about the slow process of the negotiations, Mr. Nasr maintained that the climate change negotiations are very successful when compared to the WTO negotiations for example. The complexity of this global issue and the different consequences for each country makes coming to a consensus very difficult. “On the Egyptian the different stakeholders need to coordinate more for better results”, Mr. Nasr said.

Cairo Climate Talks is a series of events meant to provide a platform to exchange experience, raise awareness and foster cooperation between policymakers, the business community, the scientific community as well as civil society. It is held in cooperation between the German Embassy in Cairo, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs,the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the German Academic Exchange service (DAAD), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Egyptian German High Level Joint Committee for Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection (JCEE).

The next Cairo Climate Talks event will take place on the 22nd of January 2012 at Al Azhar Park in the morning and at the Sawy Culturewheel in the evening. Both sessions will discuss the Carbon Market Mechanisms which are a main tool to limit the Green House Gas emissions through the cooperation between the industrialized and developing countries.