Minister of Environment Khaled Fahmy signed on Friday the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in a ceremony held at the UN's headquarters in New York. 

During the ceremony, attended by representatives of a record number of 171 countries, Fahmy signed the agreement on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. 

He thanked UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres and President of the COP21 Segolene Royal. 

The minister described the event as "historic" and "exceptional" as it a new important step to combat climate change and contain its negative effects. 

The agreement was approved by the 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention of the Climate Change (UNFCCC) in COP21 in Paris on Dec. 12, 2015. 

In the agreement, all countries pledged to work to limit the temperature rise overall below 2 degrees Celsius, but are aiming to achieve a temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Source: MENA