Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam met with Marwan Al-Raqad, Executive Director of the Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to discuss ways of strengthening cooperation in water management, the ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, Al-Raqad conveyed greetings from El Hassan bin Talal. Sewilam affirmed Egypt’s readiness to broaden technical and research collaboration with the network, particularly in initiatives aimed at improving water-use efficiency and promoting sustainable resource management.
The two sides reviewed arrangements to host a regional branch office of the Islamic network in Cairo, following a cooperation protocol signed in October 2025 during Cairo Water Week. The planned office is expected to serve as a hub for research and technical support, capacity-building programmes, policy development, and climate adaptation strategies in the water sector across member states.
Discussions also covered preparations for a proposed rainwater harvesting project in Wadi Feiran in South Sinai. The initiative envisages the construction of 50 mountain lakes to reduce flash flood risks and provide freshwater resources for local Bedouin communities, in coordination with donor agencies.
In addition, the meeting addressed opportunities for enhanced cooperation in training and capacity building in areas such as water management, treatment and reuse technologies, and implementation of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus approach to advance integrated and sustainable resource management.
