Egypt is set to host the 2018 United Nations Biodiversity Conference Nov. 17-24 in Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai governorate. The event, its 25th anniversary, will include the 14th meeting of signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Gathering decision-makers from more than 190 countries, this year's theme is “Investing in biodiversity for people and planet.”

The event will feature parallel summits in which representatives of civil society, local authorities, the private sector, young people, development agencies and parliamentarians will join together to discuss achieving the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its protocols.

Egypt is the first country in the Arab region to host this conference. Environment Minister Yasmin Fouad announced that hosting the enormous event will show Egypt’s keenness to preserve biodiversity as well as educate its citizens on the subject. Fouad pointed out that among the topics to be discussed are ways to confront marine waste such as plastics that kill thousands of marine organisms and endangered species.