Egypt greenwashes its tyranny at Cop27

As his country hosts the Cop27 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s regime has attempted to shift attention away from its ongoing crackdown on civil-society groups by touting its sustainability credentials. The world must not let the regime use the climate crisis to burnish its global image.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi speaking during the Cop27 Summit on Monday. Since el-Sisi seized power in 2014, following a military coup the previous year, his regime has run roughshod over basic components of governance such as political parties, parliament, and the constitution. Photo: AP/Nariman El-Mofty

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been trying to use the United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop27), which started this week in Sharm El-Sheikh, to position Egypt as a global leader in sustainability, touting various environmental initiatives. 

And to make the most of the opportunity, his autocratic regime has been exploiting the gathering to greenwash its poor human-rights record and repressive tactics.