Ashraf AboArafe
AS COP31 approaches, Cairo became a meeting point for climate dialogue, bringing together policymakers, young people, civil society, academia, the media, the private sector and diplomats under the banner of “Jisr – The Climate Bridge” — a bridge of ideas stretching from Cairo toward Antalya.
The Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Cairo, in cooperation with the youth environmental civil society organization Youth Loves Egypt (YLE), hosted the “Jisr – Climate Bridge” seminar on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the residence of Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen.
The event brought together around 130 participants representing government institutions, Parliament, civil society, youth organizations, academia, the media and the private sector, alongside members of the diplomatic corps.
The seminar opened with remarks by Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen, followed by addresses from Australian Ambassador Joel McGregor and Ahmed Fathy, Founder and President of YLE.
Ambassador Şen stressed that climate change is no longer an issue for one country or region alone, but a shared responsibility requiring global cooperation and collective commitment. He also emphasized the importance of ensuring that young people play an active role in shaping and implementing climate policies.
He outlined the priorities of Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency, undertaken in close partnership with Australia, stressing that all efforts and activities surrounding the Antalya Summit are built around three fundamental pillars: dialogue, consensus and action.
Moving beyond the language of declarations and conference halls, Şen emphasized that the world no longer needs merely to place new goals on meeting tables. What is needed, he said, is the political will to turn existing commitments into reality — in fields, industries and cities.
He expressed the hope that COP31 would go down in history as the “Implementation COP”, placing delivery and tangible action at the heart of the global climate agenda.
The programme also featured a presentation by a member of the Turkish Embassy on the priorities of Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency, as well as an introduction to the Arab Youth Declaration, prepared in coordination with YLE.
At the heart of the event was a panel discussion entitled “Road to COP31”, which brought together leading Egyptian and Arab experts to exchange views on climate policies, sustainability and the road toward the Antalya conference.
The panel featured former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aty; Director of the Environment and Meteorology Department at the League of Arab States Dr. Mahmoud Fathallah; former Adviser to Egypt’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dr. Karim Morsi; and Dr. Dalia Abdel Kader, Head of Sustainability at the Commercial International Bank (CIB).
The dialogue then moved beyond the stage and into interactive working tables, where participants discussed a range of climate-related themes and exchanged ideas, recommendations and practical proposals.
In this sense, “Jisr – The Climate Bridge” was more than a platform for speeches. It became a living space for direct dialogue — where different generations, sectors and perspectives met, listened and searched together for pathways from commitment to implementation.
The event ultimately embodied the very meaning of its name: a bridge between people, generations and nations; a bridge beginning in Cairo and reaching toward Antalya, carrying not only ideas, but the hope that climate action can move from conference halls into everyday life.
The programme was complemented by the photo exhibition “One Flyway, Two Shores,” portraying the migratory journeys of birds along a remarkable route stretching from the Bosphorus in Istanbul to the shores of the Red Sea.
One sky, one climate, one shared future — two shores connected by the timeless flight of life.
