Egypt's First Lady Mrs. Suzan Mubarak stressed Sunday 11/5/2008 the need to draw up programs for local, regional and international cooperation to confront environmental problems and global climate change.

Many people in the world suffer from poverty, starvation and inequality within their own communities, she said in an address directed to an international conference on climate change and development held at Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

No less than 40.000 people lose their lives every day because of starvation and mal-nutrition at a time the world is facing a food crisis caused by high demand, tight resources, climate change and natural disasters while the rich burn the food that is supposed to be given to the poor to produce bio-fuel and get the energy they need to continue their luxurious way of life, she added in the speech read out on her behalf by Bibliotheca Alexandrina Director Ismail Serageddin.

Being the most vulnerable, women are the worst affected by any environmental deterioration in any part of the world, Mrs. Mubarak said, calling for more work to further programs that aim at empowering and educating women.

She called for a consorted international effort to face global environmental problems such as pollution, desertification, deforestation and climate change.

Climate change is increasingly becoming one of the most serious and pressing global challenges of our present time, according to Egypt's State Minister for Environmental Affairs Maged George.

Sensitizing people around the world to the problem of global warmth and climate change has become a must, George added in his address to the conference.

Climate change is a challenge that can only be addressed effectively through a global effort and through an agreement on deeper absolute emission reduction commitments by developed and major industrialized countries, he said.

He warned of the danger posed by climate change to water resources and agriculture production calling on all countries, especially wealthy ones, to make their economies less dependent on carbon-based energy sources.