Dr. Dalia Sakr has more than 22 years of experience in providing energy, resource efficiency, and climate change related advisory services in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia regions. She is at present the founder and CEO of SHiFTERRA Consultancy.

Dr. Sakr is a seasoned expert in providing consultancy services to multilateral organizations, such as UNIDO, UNDP, EBRD, and GIZ. Moreover, she has led the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Resource Efficiency (REF) Program, under the World Bank Group (WBG), in the extended MENA region across 19 countries including Pakistan (2010-2016). This program aimed to increase investments in clean technologies and support efficiency led savings in energy, water, materials to improve the competitiveness of the private sector and mitigate climate change. She was a member of WB’s Energy team on Egypt Energy Programmatic TA for implementation of Reforms project, where one of the activities was to strengthen the capacity of MoRE’s Energy Efficiency Unit (EECCD). Setting up partnerships and operational coordination mechanisms was a regular aspect of her work internally within WBG and with donors, federal/municipal governments, financial institutions, and other stakeholders across the extended MENA region.

Dr. Sakr has solid expertise with green and climate finance. She was appointed with DAI Global under the position of National Climate Change Consultant on the Macro-economic Stabilization and Reform (MESR) project of to prepare technical study using the ‘financial diagnostic tool’ to support the Egyptian Ministry of Finance and other ministries to assess the economic and fiscal risks and opportunities imposed by climate change and recommended response measures. Additionally, she supported the USAID Business Egypt project in the capacity building and technical assistance for financial institutions in relation to climate risk assessment and management. Previously, she explored with IFC innovative finance mechanisms (i.e. fintech for SMEs in solar pumping and agricultural waste utilization) and business models to improve access to finance for potential farmers and linkages to financial institutions. She worked with KfW (German Development Bank) to prepare Project Concept Document on the establishment of a Special Purpose Vehicle (Energy Efficiency Fund) in Egypt. In preparation to COP27, she drafted climate finance proposals for the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy in cooperation with UNDP. Moreover, she received “Green Banking MENA: Applying Green Energy Finance Programme” by Renewables Academy (RENAC) on green energy finance and international climate finance and passed the exam with distinction.

Furthermore, Dr. Sakr’s climate expertise was consolidated by involvement in mobilizing sustainable and nationally-appropriate climate action, such as through preparing the update to Egypt’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) up to 2030, GHG emission reduction calculations for energy efficiency measures under Egypt’s National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP II), and participating in preparing Egypt’s first Biennial Update Report (BUR). Importantly, she has been nominated by the climate National Focal Point to the UNFCCC Roster of Experts as a national expert on GHG inventory, mitigation, adaptation, and importantly financial support. Moreover, she is a reviewer undertaking technical analysis of mitigation actions and effects of BURs from Partied not included in Annex I to the Convention.This added to her extensive CDM experience and knowledge of relevant UNFCCC and IPCC methodologies. In the context of project development and technical assistance, she has provided numerous trainings on finance procedures, MRV arrangements, climate change, environmental management, and other topics.

She has co-/authored numerous policy papers, peer reviewed journal papers, and technical reports, such as: World Bank policy paper on recommended measures to scaling up distributed solar (off-grid) in emerging markets with the focus on Egypt, Circularity as Green Recovery Industrial Strategy with Alternative Policy Solutions at AUC (food & beverages, textiles, and cement sectors), commentary on Climate Change and Lessons Learned from COVID-19, among others.

She has a PhD degree on Cleaner Production, Cleaner Products, Industrial Ecology and Sustainability from Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering Specialization from the American University in Cairo. At present, she is adjunct faculty at both universities. She is currently teaching courses at the AUC Engineering Services on Environmental Management Systems. In the Netherlands, she supervises the research work of PhD candidates in the International PhD Program on Sustainability. 

Dr. Sakr recently advised H.E. Minister of Environment (Egypt) on circular economy and resource efficiency, solid waste management, attracting private sector investments and promotion of green entrepreneurship. She participated in meetings with Ministers and other high-level officials to discuss and present project activities.  This is in addition to inter-ministerial coordination meetings on national level climate change projects. She has excellent contacts with climate change-related stakeholders in Egypt.