Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has called on African leaders to exercise their responsibility in acting on climate change and to unite efforts to face challenges to establishing stability and peace in the continent.
El-Sisi s comments came during the opening of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, which is taking place in Aswan, Upper Egypt 11-12 December.
In a speech broadcast live on TV on Wednesday, El-Sisi urged African countries to join all efforts to overcome major problems facing Africa, mainly combating terrorism and associated phenomena of arms and human trafficking, illegal migration and increasing organised crimes.
The Egyptian president, who curently holds the rotating presidency of the 55-national African Union, also called on fellow heads of state to take more decisive action to tackle climate change
"We all shall act with responsibility on the negative implications of climate change which have exacerbated desertification and scarcity of water and natural resources," El-Sisi said
African countries have made progress on achieving development and bringing stability in the region, El-sisi says, citing the adoption of 2063 African development agenda, and the initiative for a conflict-free continent by 2020 called Silencing the Guns by 2020 .
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