Toward the emergence of a green eco-system in Egypt

Open letter to the Egyptian Presidency

نحو نظام بيئي أخضر في مصر

رسالة مفتوحة إلى الرئاسة المصرية

A list of proposed requests to the Egyptian government structured under 8 main pillars aiming towards our environmental sustainability as a nation, based on the first-hand on-ground collective experiences of Egyptian CSOs, startups, initiatives and businesses in the environmental field.

What is this letter?

Local civil society organizations, start-ups, initiatives and Small and Medium Enterprises who are committed to making our contribution to help attain sustainability  goals for Egypt and for our country to be an example for the entire region/Africa. 

Who is behind this?

The stakeholders of the proposed actions are businesses, governmental entities, civil society organizations, local communities and individuals who are affecting and being affected by environmental issues.

Who are the stakeholders?

“We come together not as a union or a coalition, but as diverse initiatives sharing the same ambition to act for a better environment through our respective fields of work.”

Who was involved?

After acknowledging our respective responsibilities toward the environment, in line with Egypt Vision 2030 and identifying the challenges and opportunities related to our work at a local level, we are proposing concrete actions that would enable us to maximize our environmental efforts.

Why this open letter?

For the Egyptian Presidency including COP presidency and the Egyptian government as a whole.

Who is this letter for?

Support.

Support.

Key highlights of the common requests:

Requests tackling 8 pillars: 1-Single-use plastics 2-Local Farming & Biodiversity 3-Climate resilience 4-Supportive regulative and financial frameworks for ‘green entities’ 5-Production 6-Water bodies protection and waste management 7-Red Sea protection 8-Litigation of environmental rights, including the following:

1.ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS

1.1 Regulate single-use plastic. Having a minimum thickness and/or density for single-use plastics…

1.2 Accurate labeling of “oxo-degradable” plastic VS. “biodegradable”…

1.3 Banning foam food packaging by end of 2023…

1.4 Establishing a unified system for labeling all products and packaging based on their degree of recyclability…

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2. ON PROMOTING LOCAL FARMING & URBAN BIODIVERSITY

2.1 Facilitate the creation of local agricultural projects and organizations…  

2.2 Protect urban vegetation…

2.3 Enforce the allocation of ​​no less than one thousand square meters of land per neighborhood to establish a nursery for production of trees…

2.4 Motivate citizens to increase green spaces and tighten penalties for trespassing on agricultural lands…

2.5 Promote stricter irrigation and water saving measures in agriculture…

2.6 Manage uncontrolled usage of chemical pesticides…

2.7 Promote native trees planting in urban green spaces…

2.8 Engage local initiatives and entities…

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3. On climate resilience:

3.1 Integrating local communities and civil society organizations as key central actors for climate resilient development…Applying a spatially focused development framework, focusing on:

3.1.1 Small-scale local-based  solutions that integrate to fulfill long term development strategies…

3.1.2 Adaptation measures that are context relevant…

3.1.3 Redefining “loss and damage” on the national level…

3.1.4 De-centralizing funding opportunities and financing for climate resilient development interventions…

3.2 Providing transparent and independent reporting of environmental issues…

3.3 Transparently and publicly communicating target bound and time bound strategies from all stakeholders…

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4. On providing a supportive regulative and financial framework for “green” entities:

4.1 Creating tax exemptions for relevant social and environmental businesses…

4.2 Creating accessible legal frameworks for the creation of inclusive alliances/collectives/associations that engage small and medium scale green entities… to allow for continuous dialogue/bargaining…

4.3 Creating national incentives for packaging and production companies that innovate and produce alternative green solutions…

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5. On production: 

5.1 Setting requirements for the transparent reporting and communication of any production’s value chain and its respective operations…

5.2 Creating the framework for the development of a digital product passport for all products where the substances/materials, sources of materials and production, recyclability/ environmental impact, etc. would be publicly communicated...

5.3 Setting guidelines for resources consumption and waste disposal for any production chain in all industries. Such guidelines would include measures for reparation…

5.4 Setting governmental mechanisms to investigate such operations and collect data, and to engage civil society and relevant stakeholders…

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6. On water bodies and waste management:

6.1 Setting concrete national measures to prevent  waste being disposed in water bodies…

6.2 Having clear sanctions and incentives…through the creation of an independent environmental protection unit under the Ministry of Environment.

6.3 …broadening of the solid waste management system’s financial and institutional resources.

6.4 Providing local communities living around shores of water bodies with operational and effective waste management systems.

6.5 Implementing waste management systems that are context specific and that engage the local communities…

6.6 Incentivizing and implementing projects/solutions related to wastewater treatment and ensuring their proper management and restorage.

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7. On the Red Sea and its biodiversity: 

7.1 Announcing the Egyptian coral reef as Marine protected area…

7.2 … to gather data on the health of the Red Sea.

7.3 Expanding and maintaining the mooring buoy system…

7.4 Enhancing the implementation of marine zoning plan…

7.5 Obliging petroleum companies operating in the Red Sea to contribute CSR funding to marine conservation causes.

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8. On the litigation for environmental rights:

8.1 Addressing environmental and climate change lawsuits through specialized judicial departments, where there would be a time limit…clarifying specific criteria for the The State Lawsuits Authority to present government bodies before the courts in such cases.

8.2 Mapping of all judgments issued in regards to issues of environmental pollution, sanitary and industrial sewage, and pollution of the Nile River, and having a quick mechanism for their implementation …

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