COP-27: South Africa President criticises international donors

The president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, criticised international funders for making it difficult for poorer nations to access aid to fight climate change.

According to a UN-backed report released Tuesday, developing countries and emerging economies need investments well beyond $2 trillion annually by 2030.

Speaking at the COP27 summit on Tuesday, Cyril Ramaphosa, asked for a clear roadmap.

"We need a clear roadmap to deliver on the Glasgow decision to double adaptation financing by 2025, our emphasis must be on the health, well-being, and food and water security of the most vulnerable people in the world. We are already scaling up investment in renewable energy and are on a course to retire a number of aging coal-fired power stations. The amount of money that is needed for South Africa to embark on this difficult journey is close on to $90 trillion", said Ramaphosa. 

Also on Tuesday, security had to escort Egyptian pro-government lawmaker Amr Darwish after he disrupted a press conference led by the sister of a jailed British-Egyptian activist currently on hunger strike.

"We are talking about an Egyptian citizen detained for a criminal offense, he is not a political prisoner", said Amr Darwish, Egyptian pro-government parliamentarian

The sister of the jailed activist appealed to the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak.

"I don't know if after COP Alaa will be alive or not. I trust that the (British, Ed.) prime minister will do his best, that Rishi Sunak will do his best", pleaded Sanaa Seif, sister of jailed activist Alaa Abdel Fattah.

The activist, currently serving a five-year sentence was accused of spreading disinformation after denouncing police brutality on social networks.