Egypt on Tuesday renewed its invitation to King Charles III for next month's COP27 climate summit after the British monarch's plans to attend were reportedly quashed by ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss.
"From our point of view in relation to his majesty King Charles, it's an open invitation," senior diplomat Mohamed Nasr said ahead of the 12-day UN meet in Sharm El-Sheik, which starts on November 6.
"He has been a very strong advocate for climate action and a role model," Nasr told journalists in an online briefing. "We still hope that he can make it."
Nasr also said that, so far, more than 90 heads of state and government had confirmed they will attend the summit, which is tasked with accelerating cuts in carbon emissions and providing climate finance for developing countries.
In early October, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Charles III would not go to COP27 after news reports saying Truss had raised objections to his participation.
But Truss stepped down as prime minister after only 44 days in office, replaced by fellow Conservative Rishi Sunak.
Britain hosted last year's watershed COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow, which saw initiatives to curb deforestation and methane emissions, but left poor nations seeking financial support deeply frustrated.
Nasr said he hoped Sunak and other rich nation leaders would carry through on their promises in Glasgow.
"We know there are economic challenges facing the UK and other countries, but we hope those challenges do not lead to backsliding on pledges made and not delivered," he said.
Apparently neither US President Joe Biden nor China's top leader Xi Jinping have confirmed they will come to COP27.
"We hope they will be there because the two countries are leading on climate change and their cooperation and role has always been instrumental for progress," he said.
US media have reported that Biden plans to attend.
Charles III took the throne after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who addressed the COP26 summit last year with the blessing of the Tory government led by Truss's predecessor Boris Johnson.
Charles and his son William also addressed the event.
Charles III is a committed environmentalist, with a long history of campaigning for better conservation, organic farming and tackling climate change.
UK takes aim at company 'greenwashing'
London (AFP) Oct 25, 2022 –
Britain's financial watchdog on Tuesday proposed rules against "greenwashing", or deceptive claims by businesses about the evironmental impact of their products or climate actions.
The Financial Conduct Authority said it was proposing regulations, including investment product sustainability labels and restrictions on terms such as "green", "sustainable" and "ESG" (environmental, social, and governance).
"Greenwashing misleads consumers and erodes trust in all ESG products," said Sacha Sadan, an FCA director.
"Consumers must be confident when products claim to be sustainable that they actually are. Our proposed rules will help consumers and firms build trust in this sector."
The FCA is running a consultation on its proposals until January 25, ahead of publishing final rules by the end of June.
Last week, a British watchdog hit out at HSBC for adverts promoting its green initiatives that failed to highlight the bank's contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.
The Advertising Standards Authority banned further use of HSBC posters that appeared a year ago ahead of the COP26 climate summit hosted by Britain.
HSBC insisted that the financial sector had "a responsibility to communicate its role in the low carbon transition to raise public awareness and engage its customers".
But it also acknowledged the need to "consider how best to do this" as it delivers on the bank's "ambitious net zero commitments".
UK multinationals seeking to meet a British government target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 are frequently accused of "greenwashing" by environmentalists.
