Many environmental challenges, such as air pollution, global warming, marine pollution, have regional or global implications, and can therefore only be addressed through joint efforts by the regional or international communities. Moreover, it is widely recognised that the achievement of sustainable development depends on a global commitment, as much as the state of the global environment depends on the environmental commitment expressed by individual states. Over the past decades, the heightened awareness on transboundary environmental problems has resulted in a series of international agreements supporting the pursuit of sustainable development. In this respect, the Government of Egypt has assumed obligations under a number of such agreements and is furthermore engaged in several regional and international cooperation arrangements targeting environmental problems and sustainable development. Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MSEA and EEAA play a central role in this context, through the coordination of the implementation of Egypt's obligations under various multilateral environmental agreements as well as the coordination of Egypt's position on various regional and international environmental issues.

On the regional level, Egypt is a central participant in the Council of Arab Ministers for the Environment, the African Ministers Conference on the Environment, the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Regional Convention for the Protection of the Red Sea. One of the primary milestones in 2000/2001 of these regional activities was the Abu Dhabi Declaration, an output of the Council of the Arab Ministers for the Environment. It sets the framework for future cooperation on various key environmental issues of the region, comprising management and protection of scarce water resources, protection of arable land from deterioration, management of the environmental problems associated with increased urbanization, as well as the protection of marine, coastal and wetland areas. On the bilateral level, cooperation agreements on environmental issues, primarily encompassing institutional development, awareness and education, industrial pollution, marine pollution, waste management, and funding mechanisms for environmental initiatives, exist with a number of Arab countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan.

Concerning international environmental treaties, Egypt has ratified 64 international conventions concerning different environmental issues. Of these, Egypt is most active in the conventions dealing with global climate change, protection of the ozone layer, the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, desertification and the protection of biodiversity, among others.

Successful partnerships with various international assistance agencies, primarily those of the governments of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States, have resulted in a number of environmental initiatives in Egypt. Further initiatives represent the outcome of successful partnerships between the MSEA and EEAA with multilateral organisations such as the European Union, the World Bank and several United Nations organisations. In addition, plans are underway for further extending cooperation on environmental issues within the D8 group.

Finally, in response to Egypt's commitment to international efforts for sustainable development, the MSEA, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has established a national committee for the preparation of Egypt's position in the Rio +10 Summit for Sustainable Development, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2002.