Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad has been appointed as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), succeeding Mauritania’s Ibrahim Thiaw. Commenting on the appointment, the Ministry said that the appointment “reflects Egypt’s leading and pivotal role under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in recent years in the field of environmental diplomacy and international development.” Fouad’s appointment comes after Egypt’s presidency of COP27 in 2022, where Fouad contributed to advancing global initiatives on adaptation, food security, agriculture, and nature-based solutions. Fouad also chaired the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP14), and has served as Egypt’s Minister of Environment since 2018.
