**Minister of Environment Reviews the Importance of Integrating Biodiversity Conservation Considerations When Financing Infrastructure at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Meetings in Sharm el-Sheikh**

Minister of Environment Highlights Biodiversity Integration in Infrastructure Financing at AIIB Meetings in Sharm el-Sheikh

Dr. Yasmin Fouad, Egypt’s Minister of Environment, participated in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) meetings held in Sharm el-Sheikh, chaired by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. As the main speaker in the session on integrating biodiversity conservation into infrastructure financing, Dr. Fouad addressed prominent figures including Tonga’s Minister of Finance and representatives from key financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, and the Asian Investment Bank.

In her address, Dr. Fouad emphasized the critical economic role of ecosystem services and natural capital, particularly for African and Asian countries. She noted that these natural assets contribute up to $44 trillion in economic value, surpassing half of the global GDP. Highlighting rising climate and financial risks linked to infrastructure investments, she stressed the urgent need to incorporate biodiversity considerations in development projects.

Dr. Fouad discussed the material risks stemming from nature degradation, including loss of ecosystem services and conflicts with economic activities. She pointed out that both current and planned infrastructure projects could impact protected areas and sectors like tourism, which heavily depend on fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs.

With Egypt’s leadership in COP14 and the global biodiversity framework adopted at COP15, the minister underscored Egypt’s pivotal role in designing nature-friendly policies that engage the private sector and set actionable goals for biodiversity conservation.

She called for innovative approaches to involve the private sector, including creating supply-demand mechanisms and swiftly implementing biodiversity conservation standards to sustain investor and financial sector interest.

Dr. Fouad also highlighted government efforts aligning the visions of Egypt’s central bank and financial authorities with global biodiversity frameworks. She noted that supporting green infrastructure financing through multilateral development banks and international financial institutions, alongside innovative financing mechanisms like blended finance, is key to reducing risks and encouraging private sector participation in biodiversity preservation at the national level.