Egypt's FM meets SIDS group in New York

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met early Saturday with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) group to lobby for support for Egypt's bid to win a non-permanent UN Security Council seat in 2016-2017.

Shoukry told the group Cairo is well aware of challenges facing the SIDS as a result of climate change and natural disasters, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Badr Abdel Aati said.

A bigger international network is needed to handle such threats, Shoukry said, noting that Egypt understands the importance of protecting the SIDS against the negative impacts of climate change, which constitute a matter of life or death to residents of those states.

Abdel Aati said that the Egyptian top diplomat pressed for securing financial resources needed to help the SIDS overcome those challenges that threaten the very existence of residents.

Egypt shares the same fears, Shoukry told the group, noting that the Delta region can very well face the same threats.

He said Egypt welcomes a decision by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to allocate 50 percent of its total allotments for countries with weak economies, including the SIDS.