Egypt’s Environment Minister Steps Down to Head UN Desertification Effort

(MENAFN) Egypt’s Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad has stepped down to assume her new position as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Egyptian cabinet confirmed Sunday.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly accepted Fouad’s resignation and appointed Local Development Minister Manal Awad to temporarily oversee the environment ministry alongside her existing responsibilities, according to an official cabinet statement.

Madbouly praised Fouad’s new role as “a testament to her capability to assume major responsibilities to support the international organization's efforts” and called it “a culmination of her long-standing efforts and expertise in the field.”

In a separate release, the Environment Ministry noted that Fouad expressed appreciation for President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi’s backing of environmental initiatives. She also underscored her collaboration with Madbouly and other key ministries and voiced trust in Awad’s ability to sustain momentum in Egypt’s environmental agenda.

Fouad emphasized Egypt’s advancements in recent years in embedding environmental priorities into national development strategies, focusing on waste management, air quality improvements, and biodiversity preservation.

Having held the environment minister post since 2018, Fouad’s new appointment as UNCCD executive secretary was announced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in May.

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