Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aty, participated in the "Dushanbe Water Conference" in Tajikistan, as a representative of the Prime Minister. On the sidelines of the forum, Abdel Aty met with a number of ministers and senior water officials of several countries and international organizations. In his speech before the session, Abdel Aty pointed out the challenges facing the world, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges of food and fuel supply chains around the world, and the challenges of water scarcity at the global level. He explained that about 36% of the world's population suffer from water scarcity, and by 2050, water stress and desertification will threaten almost 100 countries, including Egypt. The minister further noted that these conditions require strengthening cooperation between different countries, stressing that water should be a tool for regional cooperation, through just and binding legal agreements to manage common international rivers, as 153 countries around the world participate in 263 of the transboundary river and lake basins. He stressed the importance of the United Nations Mid-Term Review Conference 2023, to which the peoples of the world aspire to reassure about the future of water and food around the world, adding :"we are looking at the future in which we ensure the fulfillment of water needs and the achievement of sustainable development goals, especially the sixth and the goals related to water and its scarcity." Moreover, Abdel Aty reviewed the volume of the challenges that Egypt faces in the field of water, as it is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, especially since Egypt depends on the Nile River, which comes from outside its borders, by 97%.
