Eng. Essam El-Naggar: The Authority Has Become a Key Partner in Supporting the State’s Environmental Policies and a Technical Guarantor of Egypt’s International Climate Commitments
Ahmed Ghoneim: Museum’s Carbon-Neutral Certification Marks a Milestone in Applying International Best Practices in Sustainability
The General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) announced that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is now a carbon-neutral facility, reflecting Egypt’s commitment to a green economy and sustainable development pathways in line with Egypt Vision 2030. The announcement was made during an event attended by Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, Mr. Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Eng. Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of GOEIC.
The declaration of GEM as a carbon-neutral facility embodies the state’s sustainable local governance policies, setting a gold standard for public institutions adopting clean energy solutions and enhancing Egypt’s capacity to meet its international climate obligations.
Eng. Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of GOEIC, stated that this collaboration demonstrates a clear strategic transformation in the role of the Authority, which has become a key partner in supporting the state’s environmental policies and a technical guarantor of Egypt’s international climate commitments. This is achieved through GOEIC’s Environmental Verification and Validation Unit (EVVU), one of the nation’s leading and internationally accredited bodies for advanced environmental verification.
Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum, emphasized that the museum’s certification as a carbon-neutral institution represents a major milestone in its journey. He noted that this achievement was made possible through close cooperation with GOEIC and the expertise of its internationally accredited EVVU unit.
He added that this collaboration reflects the museum’s vision to be a global cultural institution that not only showcases human history but also commits to environmental protection and the application of international best practices in sustainability, befitting Egypt’s civilizational standing.
The initiative highlights intergovernmental collaboration and the state’s full support for aligning major national projects with environmental sustainability objectives. GOEIC’s EVVU unit, accredited internationally by the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC), played a key technical role in this achievement by conducting comprehensive environmental audits and verification according to international standards.
The verification process included two main components: the first focused on assessing carbon emissions across all operational activities of the museum during a two-year pilot period, ensuring data accuracy and reliability. The second component involved detailed verification of projected and actual carbon emissions associated with the museum’s official opening ceremony, ensuring that this global event exemplified Egypt’s commitment to organizing major events in line with sustainability principles and presenting GEM as a model for the concept of a green museum.
