The speech of His Excellency President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, at the Climate Summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh, in the brotherly Arab Republic of Egypt

  Sharm El-Sheikh :

Dear brother, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses, Your Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, Your Excellencies, the attendees all:

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and congratulations to the Arab Republic of Egypt for the good organization and hosting of this high summit. I would like also to express my deep thanks to the United Nations and its Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, for his coordinated efforts with the concerned parties to protect our planet. Brothers and sisters all attendees,

Our countries meet today in light of multiple challenges from the food crisis, to record high temperatures, to the wars raging around the world, but we realize that the repercussions of climate change is the most serious challenge, especially in countries that suffer from armed conflicts. Although Yemen is the least contributor to the emissions caused by the phenomenon of climate change, it is at the forefront of the countries affected by its negative effects. There is no doubt that the bleak picture presented to you by the reports on the effects of climate change in Yemen will be more detailed in the framework of the expanded discussions within the sidelines of this summit.

However, let me point here to some features of that picture that anticipate the depletion of groundwater, including the main valleys in the country, as well as the risks of sea level rise in basins close to the coastal areas extending about 2,400 km, which constitutes a serious threat to the life and livelihood of the population and the national economy. Our country has always been one of the countries in the region most threatened by drought, which represents another source of civil strife over water and land, as more than 72 percent of the population depends on agricultural activity, the productivity of which is greatly reduced.

The changes associated with the rise in temperature and the disturbance of the rainy seasons have contributed to the spread of swamps, as a result of floods and torrential rains that lead to the loss of thousands of lives, with diseases that could have been cured or prevented. In addition, our environmental and tourism assets are exposed to devastating effects as a result of these changes in light of the collapse of the government protection network under the devastating war waged by the Houthi terrorist militia supported by the Iranian regime, which requires accelerating commitments to reduce emissions, building adaptive capacities and doubling funds for this purpose.  Before that, enhancing the chances of peace according to the resolutions of international legitimacy and the relevant references.

Dear brothers and sisters,, We in the Presidential Leadership Council and the government are fully aware of these dangerous repercussions of climate change, and we are equally aware of our common duties to limit their effects. Similarly, I am confident that you are also deeply aware of the surest way to bring about a shift in this path. It is the path to peace, ending the coup, restoring the national institutions of the state that is a member of the United Nations, and enabling it to manage its fair share of the financing initiative for developing and least developed countries to meet climate challenges, and reduce the results of the destructive practices pursued by terrorist militias, including turning the country into the largest minefield since World War II, procrastination in ending the potential oil spill from the Safer floating tank, which threatens the greatest environmental disaster in the world.

For the Yemenis, this honored gathering holds overlapping responsibilities that are summarized in helping the Yemeni government to build its capabilities, rebuild its institutions, and deter the threats of terrorist militias supported by the Iranian regime to the security and stability of the country, international shipping lines and global energy supplies. On our part, as you know, we have gone to the greatest extent in dealing with all peace efforts, seeking to alleviate human suffering and return Yemen to its normal path as an active member in its regional and international environment, but terrorist militias have always stood in the way of opportunities for progress in peace efforts, the latest of which is rejecting the renewal of the humanitarian truce, targeting the oil and shipping facilities in the governorates of Hadramout and Shabwa, and threatening to expand these attacks across the borders in an area located in the heart of the main trade waterways in the world.

Dear brothers and sisters; The decisions you will take at this summit will positively affect the lives of millions of Yemenis who have lost half of their national product estimated at $126 billion over the past eight years, let alone the massive destruction, overcrowded displacement camps, and services that operate at less than half of their capacity. It is a good occasion for us to renew our thanks and appreciation to the brothers in the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their appreciated efforts in mitigating the severity of the disaster, and preventing a comprehensive collapse of state institutions that are responding today to your efforts in limiting the damages of climate change at various levels.

On this occasion, we also commend the international and regional initiatives in the climate context, in particular the Green Middle East initiative announced by the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the aim of achieving record reductions in carbon emissions. We also support the Arab Republic of Egypt's initiative for adaptation and resilience in the water sector. sisters and brothers ; Human civilization owes Yemen many things as it is an important link in the global environmental heritage, and the time has come to respond to the calls of mothers and fathers who are eager to see their children move without fear towards a future full of hope, and to prevent the destruction of their ancient cultural and environmental heritage.

That is why I am here today to ask you for a quick mechanism to end the suffering of the Yemeni people, build their destroyed cities, protect their biodiversity and environmental resources, and restore the glow of their vibrant culture. All thanks to you again, my brother, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and all the best wishes that our high conference will lead to encouraging decisions for the benefit of our peoples and our planet. While we appreciate the United Nations' continued support for Egypt's presidency of the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, we also look forward to the support of the United Arab Emirates in organizing the twenty-eighth conference, and we also support President Sisi's initiative to stop the war in Ukraine, given its importance to international peace and security.

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah