（The materialsource is Xinhua News Agency, written by Deng Yaomin. For reference only.）

Egypt partnered with Sub- Saharan African (SSA) countries to advancethe green agenda and sustainable development.

The country's Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry told a committee ofpermanent representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) inNairobi that his country will help African countries address environmentalchallenges and poverty.

"Egypt will partnerwith African countries to achieve common objectives, including green economy,sustainable development, food and water security,"Shoukry said.  Permanent Representatives of the UNEP met inNairobi to discuss future activities of the UN agency that has an enlargedmandate.  Shoukry told diplomats thatEgypt will mobilize the international community to help African countries copewith climatic shocks.

"As this year's hostof the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN), Egypt has a dutyto lead negotiations towards a climate deal that reflects Africa's sharedaspirations," Shoukry said.

He urged African countriesto speak in one voice as the global community prepares for Paris talks thatwill culminate in signing of a legally binding agreement to cut green house gasemissions.

"We have two majormilestones in our environmental calendar this year that will have far reachingimplications on transition to green economy and sustainable development inAfrica," Shoukry told reporters, adding that Egypt will strengthencooperation with African states to address environmental challenges likedesertification, biodiversity loss and land degradation.

Shoukry noted thatSouth-South cooperation is critical to revitalize ecological protection inAfrica."We need to develop mechanisms to facilitate the transfer ofenvironmental technologies from developed to developing countries."

Shoukry noted thatbilateral cooperation with African countries in diverse fields likeagriculture, water management and forestry has blossomed.