The Cairo Climate Talks (CCT) celebrated its milestone 100th event, marking over 14 years of sustained climate dialogue and cooperation between Egypt and Germany. The event was held over two days at the Zamalek Aquarium Grotto Garden and the German Residence. The celebration brought together high-level officials, youth, civil society, academia, and private sector leaders to reflect on the platform’s achievements and to reaffirm a shared commitment to climate action and awareness.
On May 24th, the Cairo Climate Talks Summer Festival opened to the public. Hosted in the Zamalek Aquarium Grotto Garden, the event offered exhibitions, interactive showcases and various workshops in Arabic and English language. In addition, seven mini-panels were conducted on stage. Visitors could learn about urban sustainability, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and youth-led climate initiatives. Over 20 Egyptian and German organisations participated the festival. This segment highlighted the active climate community in Egypt, as well as the role of youth and civil society in addressing climate challenges through innovation, creativity, and grassroots action. More than 500 visitors enjoyed this educative experience, among them many children.
On May 25th, H.E. Jürgen Schulz, the German Ambassador to Egypt, hosted the high-level segment in the German Residence. In his opening remarks he emphasized the strength of CCT as an inclusive bilateral platform:
“Cairo Climate Talks is not just a platform for collaboration, but an encounter between our two countries. It brings people together for a shared goal: a more sustainable and climate-resilient future for us all. […] At every step of the way, the spirit of Egyptian-German cooperation has been at the core of Cairo Climate Talks”, the Ambassador noted.
He added, “The Cairo Climate Talks were only able to become as successful as they are today thanks to the unique cooperation with its German and Egyptian partners and stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Environment.”
H.E. Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Egypt’s Minister of Environment, highlighted CCT’s important role in raising awareness of climate issues and praised the longstanding cooperation between the German Embassy and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment. H.E the Minister of Environment said: “Cairo Climate Talk is a partnership between the government of Egypt, the German Embassy, the DAAD, and the GIZ that does not only […] focus on climate, but goes beyond to discuss environment sustainability, socio-economic issues with the very large participation of experts coming from Germany or from different governorates in Egypt.”
H.E. Dr. Hani Sewilam, Egypt’s Minister of Water and Irrigation, underlined the cooperation between both countries in the field of water: “Climate change, yes, it’s a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for us to find innovative solutions. Not always costly solutions, but there are very interesting low cost, low tech solutions to adapt to climate change”.
A panel discussion titled “Scaling Impact Through Dialogue: International Cooperation for Climate Action” explored the role of international collaboration in driving impactful climate solutions. Panellist Dr. Ali Abou Senna, CEO of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency underscored that the collaboration with the Cairo Climate Talks was not only a matter of cooperation. He said: “It is a long and outstanding partnership between Germany and Egypt. And as EEAA, the technical arm of the ministry of the environment in Egypt, we have worked with the German government in different aeras. For example, we are implementing the national program of solid waste management.”
Mr. Peter Papert, Consortium Project Director, presented the Siemens Mobility Highspeed Railway Project as an example for sustainable private sector action in Egypt. The project will cut carbon emissions by more than 70 percent compared to road traffic, thereby revolutionising sustainable mobility in Egypt. He added: “We think that companies like Siemens Mobility […] have to act as catalysts. We need to turn sustainability from our vision into our value chain.”
Ms. Randa Hamza, Senior Advisor for Climate Change at GIZ highlighted the challenges stemming from reduced funding for international cooperation: “Just last year, 2024, saw the drop of Official Development Assistance, by 7%.” She explained further how this adds to the existing pressures of climate finance: “[…] the needs actually were estimated to be $1.3 trillion annually to combat the effects of climate change and to contribute to the mitigation goals.”
Asked on the role of science as a stakeholder in fighting climate change, Dr. Wiebke Bachmann, Head of DAAD Regional Office Cairo emphasised that “science and research lie at the heart of coming up with practical solutions and policy. The DAAD supports scientists to make the climate knowledge generated at universities accessible to politics, business, and civil society and to jointly use it to develop practical solutions”.
Mr. Abdelrahman Fahmy, Chairman of Youthinkgreen Egypt advocated for the inclusion of youth in the climate discourse in Egypt and shared the experience of Youthinkgreen as a youth-led initiative. He said: “What started as a student activity at Cairo University grew into a full-time social enterprise—and the Cairo Climate Talks were with us every step of the way.”
To wrap up the evening, a commemorative video highlighted CCT’s journey since its inception. Awards were presented to founding members and long-standing collaborators, including the local initiatives “Greenish” and “Banlastic”.
As the 100th event concluded, the Cairo Climate Talks reaffirmed their role as a vital bridge between Egypt and Germany—and among science, policy, media, and civil society. The celebration was both a tribute to past achievements and a renewed call to action for future collaboration.