UNDP Supplies USD 6.2 Million to Turn Sharm El Sheikh Into Green City

Ahead of the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference, set to take place Sharm El Sheikh, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment to turn Sharm El Sheikh into a green city. The Global Environment Facility has allocated USD 6.2 million towards the project, with the overall cost estimated to go up to USD 50 million.

This national project is expected to take six years at most to complete, and will involve managing solid waste, installing solar panels, and implementing sustainable transportation. The UNDP is also looking to set green hotel standards, with renewable energy and photovoltaics in hotels, airports, desalination plants and governmental buildings. 

In preparation for the climate conference, the Ministry of Tourism already started rolling out environmental guidelines for restaurants and hotels, and aims to ban single-use plastic by November, when the conference is set to take place.

Previously, on World Environment Day, El Kharga city in the New Valley governorate was declared a climate-friendly green city.