Environment Minister Khaled Fahmi stressed that the ministry is no longer one of technocrats.

It has become an important portfolio that takes part in committees responsible for shaping the social and economic future of Egypt, Fahmi said.

Environment has become an important part in achieving sustainable development, Fahmi told MENA on Wednesday.

He promised to exert utmost efforts to achieve the 17 goals of sustainable development, referring to Prime Minister Ismail Sharif's decision to form a committee for sustainable development.

The committee will group the ministries of solidarity, finance, housing and environment.

The minister admitted that there are no sufficient resources to achieve sustainable development, but he still said "funding should never be a hurdle to achieving our goals".

As for environmental problems, he said solving such kind of problems should not be the job of the government alone, noting that in most world countries solutions to these problems are financed by the government and private sectors, the civil society and some other bodies.

He urged the civil society to engage with the ministry in settling environmental problems.