At a glance
COP27 — the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from 6 to 20 November 2022. Organised under the presidency of Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, it was the first COP hosted on the African continent since COP22 in Marrakesh in 2016. Egypt's leadership framed the conference as "an African COP," drawing attention to the disproportionate impact of climate change on the Global South.
The summit concluded with a landmark agreement to establish a dedicated Loss and Damage Fund — the first of its kind in 30 years of climate negotiations — designed to channel financial support to developing nations suffering the worst consequences of climate change they did little to cause. Over 92 heads of state and more than 35,000 delegates from 190 countries gathered at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Centre (SHICC) to participate in negotiations, side events, and ministerial dialogues.
مؤتمر COP27: For the first time in the history of UN climate diplomacy, world leaders agreed to recognise financial obligations towards countries experiencing irreversible climate-related losses — a breakthrough directly championed by Egypt and the African bloc of nations.
Table of contents
1) Egypt's Road to Hosting COP27
Egypt announced its candidacy to host COP27 at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi pledging to hold the summit "on behalf of African nations." The bid was strongly supported by the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), who argued it was time for the continent most severely affected by climate change — yet least responsible for historical emissions — to be at the centre of global climate dialogue.
On 8 January 2022, Egypt's Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad met with COP26 President Alok Sharma in a formal handover of the COP presidency. Preparations moved swiftly, with Egypt investing heavily in upgrading infrastructure at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Centre and surrounding areas to accommodate tens of thousands of delegates, journalists, and civil society representatives.
Why Egypt?
Egypt was chosen for its diplomatic leadership in the African Union, its established role as a bridge between the Arab world and Sub-Saharan Africa, and its strategic location on the Red Sea. Sharm El-Sheikh's world-class resort infrastructure provided the logistical capacity for such a massive global event, while Egypt's commitment to its own renewable energy targets lent credibility to the host nation's climate credentials.
2) The Venue: Sharm El-Sheikh
Sharm El-Sheikh — located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Red Sea — is Egypt's premier Red Sea resort city. Its Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Centre (SHICC) served as the main conference hub, hosting the plenary halls, negotiating rooms, pavilions from over 100 countries, and extensive exhibition spaces. The city's well-developed hotel and transport infrastructure allowed it to host the largest COP ever held at the time in terms of registered participants.
The choice of Sharm El-Sheikh carried symbolic weight: the Red Sea coral reefs, which are already under threat from rising sea temperatures, provided a vivid backdrop to discussions about the consequences of climate inaction. Side events and national pavilions showcased solutions ranging from renewable energy technologies to ocean conservation, many of which were directly relevant to Egypt's own coastal and marine ecosystems.
شرم الشيخ — Pearl of the Red Sea
Sharm El-Sheikh's coral reefs are among the most biodiverse in the world, supporting over 1,000 species of marine life. The city's selection as host venue for the world's premier climate conference underscored the urgency of protecting these fragile ecosystems from ocean warming and acidification driven by greenhouse gas emissions.
3) Key Themes and Agenda
The Egyptian COP27 presidency organised the conference around the theme of "Together for Implementation" — shifting the focus from making pledges (as at COP26 in Glasgow) to taking measurable action on those commitments. Six high-level roundtables at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit on 7–8 November addressed food security, innovative climate finance, just transition, green hydrogen, vulnerable communities, and water security.
COP27 Agenda Highlights
| Theme | Focus Area |
|---|---|
| Loss & Damage | Finance for climate-vulnerable nations |
| Mitigation | Scaling up 2030 emissions reductions |
| Adaptation | Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) |
| Finance | $100 billion climate finance pledge |
Mitigation Work Programme
One of the most contested areas of COP27 was the Mitigation Work Programme — a process aimed at urgently scaling up ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before 2030. Climate-vulnerable nations and the EU pushed for a strong outcome that would explicitly call on all countries to phase down fossil fuels, but the final agreement fell short of these demands, establishing only an exploratory process to identify opportunities and gaps.
Food and Agriculture on the Agenda
For the first time in COP history, food and agriculture were given dedicated space on the formal agenda, with the launch of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture evolving into broader discussions on sustainable food systems. Egypt, as one of the world's largest wheat importers, had a direct national interest in ensuring climate-resilient agriculture was integrated into global climate frameworks.
4) The Historic Loss and Damage Fund
The most celebrated outcome of COP27 was the agreement — after decades of resistance from wealthy nations — to establish a dedicated Loss and Damage Fund. For the first time in 30 years of international climate negotiations, developed countries acknowledged a financial obligation toward nations experiencing irreversible harm from climate change: the destruction of homes from rising seas, the loss of crops from extreme drought, the displacement of communities from floods.
The fund's creation was championed by Egypt, the African Group, small island developing states (SIDS), and the G77 bloc of developing nations. Its establishment at COP27 was widely celebrated as a historic breakthrough, even as critics noted that the amount of money to be contributed, the eligibility criteria, and the governance structure were left to be determined at COP28 in Dubai in 2023.
What is Loss and Damage?
In climate diplomacy, "loss and damage" refers to the negative consequences of climate change that cannot be adapted to — such as the permanent submergence of low-lying islands, the extinction of cultural heritage due to coastal erosion, or the deaths caused by unprecedented heatwaves. Developing countries have argued since the early 1990s that wealthy, high-emitting nations bear a moral and financial responsibility for these harms. COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh was the moment the world finally agreed.
5) Egypt's Climate Commitments
Egypt used the COP27 spotlight to advance its own national climate agenda, presenting an updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and a suite of renewable energy and green infrastructure projects. The Egyptian government reaffirmed its target of generating 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035, with major investments already under way in solar and wind energy — particularly the Benban Solar Park in Aswan and the Gulf of Suez wind energy corridor.
Egypt also launched several flagship initiatives at COP27 that linked climate action directly to economic development opportunities, framing the green transition as a driver of job creation and energy security rather than merely an environmental obligation.
Egypt's Climate Highlights at COP27
- Nexus of Food, Water and Energy (NFWE): Egypt launched this initiative recognising the interconnected crises facing developing nations, advocating for integrated solutions that address resource scarcity holistically.
- Benban Solar Park: Egypt showcased this 1.65 GW solar facility in Aswan — one of the largest in the world — as proof of its commitment to a domestic renewable energy transition.
- Green Hydrogen: Egypt announced partnerships to develop green hydrogen production using its renewable energy capacity, positioning the country as a future exporter of clean energy to European markets.
6) Global Leaders and Key Moments
More than 92 heads of state and government attended the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit on 7 and 8 November, making it one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in the history of the COP process. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi opened the leaders' summit, calling on nations to move beyond promises to concrete action. UN Secretary-General António Guterres used his platform to issue a stark warning, calling for a "climate solidarity pact" between developed and emerging economies, led by the United States and China.
US President Joe Biden attended COP27, reinforcing American engagement in climate diplomacy following its return to the Paris Agreement under the Biden administration. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak initially announced he would not attend but reversed course days before the summit. Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent a delegation, signalling a sharp shift in Brazil's climate policy following his election. Notably absent were Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, though both countries sent delegations.
7) Legacy and Impact on Egypt
Diplomatic Legacy
- Africa's voice: COP27 elevated Africa's standing in global climate negotiations, establishing the continent's moral authority in demanding equity.
- Loss & Damage Fund: Egypt's presidency is credited with the diplomatic breakthrough that finally brought this fund into existence after 30 years of advocacy.
- South-South cooperation: The summit deepened Egypt's ties with fellow developing nations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Economic Impact on Sharm El-Sheikh
- Tens of thousands of visitors boosted the local hospitality and services sector during the two-week conference.
- Infrastructure upgrades at SHICC and across the city provided lasting improvements to Egypt's conference and events capacity.
- International media coverage raised global awareness of Sharm El-Sheikh as a world-class destination for major diplomatic events and sustainable tourism.
Planning a Visit to Sharm El-Sheikh?
- Best time to visit: October to April — comfortable temperatures ideal for diving and exploring.
- Climate heritage tour: Visit the SHICC venue and the nearby Ras Mohammed National Park, whose coral reefs were a focal point of COP27 ocean conservation discussions.
- Dive the reef: The Red Sea reefs around Sharm El-Sheikh are among the world's most celebrated dive sites — a living reminder of what is at stake in global climate negotiations.
Last updated: April 2025. Information on climate agreements and national commitments may evolve; verify with UNFCCC official sources for the latest developments.
8) Sources & Further Reading
The following are reputable starting points used to compile the information on this page.
- UNFCCC Secretariat. Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference — November 2022. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2022. — Official documentation, decisions, and outcomes of COP27.
- IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin. Summary Report: Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference, 6–20 November 2022. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. — Detailed summary of negotiations and outcomes.
- Egyptian Ministry of Environment. Egypt's Nationally Determined Contribution (Updated 2022). Arab Republic of Egypt, 2022. — Egypt's official climate targets and commitments submitted to the UNFCCC.
- Wikipedia Contributors. 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Wikimedia Foundation, 2024. — Comprehensive encyclopaedic overview with extensive sourcing.
Hero image: Aerial view of Sharm El-Sheikh (Wikimedia Commons). COP27 logo: UNFCCC / Egyptian COP27 Presidency (Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain).