Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aty has met with Abdelhakim El-Waer, the Assistant Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and FAO Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, to discuss strengthening cooperation between the two sides.
Besides the cooperation in the field of water issues, the two sides are cooperating during the Cairo Water Week activities.
During the meeting, Abdel Aty stated that the upcoming edition of the conference will be held under the title “Water at the Heart of Climate Action”. He explained that the event aims to raise awareness of water issues, promote innovations to confront urgent water challenges by unconventional methods using modern technology, support and implement integrated water management policies, and reach sustainable solutions to manage water resources to confront population growth and climate changes.
The minister pointed out to the impact of climate change on freshwater resources and the rise in sea level, which represents a major threat to the Nile Delta, which prompted the ministry to implement major projects in the field of beach protection for lengths of up to 210 km to protect the Egyptian coast, in addition to another 50 km underway.
Abdel Aty also stressed the important interrelationship between water and food, as water represents a key element in agriculture and achieving food security, pointing to the important role represented by the development of the water system and its reflection on improving the agricultural system and bridging the food gap that Egypt is currently facing.
For his part, Al-Waer stressed the keenness of the FAO to provide all forms of support and coordination during the activities of the next climate conference to come up with the best results that can be submitted as inputs to the United Nations Conference on the Mid-Term Comprehensive Review on Water, which is scheduled to be organised in March 2023.
He emphasized the important role of the COP 27 in giving impetus to the climate change file in Africa and the Middle East, stressing the importance of expanding the use of renewable energy in the water and agriculture sector to provide food products in a way that contributes to mitigating climate changes, which is an important matter to be discussed during the upcoming climate conference.
