Egypt's Local Development Minister and acting Environment Minister Manal Awad on Wednesday held a meeting with a delegation from UN-Habitat led by Cairo office head Ahmed Rizk to discuss strengthening cooperation on climate adaptation, biodiversity, and local development. Talks focused on linking international financing mechanisms with local projects, including the Green Climate Fund readiness project, waste investment tool, and improving waste management systems to attract recycling investment. Discussions also covered the Sustainable Oasis project in Farafra, New Valley, which integrates biodiversity restoration with climate adaptation to boost community resilience. The meeting addressed ways to enhance Alexandria and Matrouh's capacity to cope with climate change impacts, drawing on outputs from smart green projects and infrastructure upgrades. Talks further included UN-Habitat's role in Egypt's national climate adaptation dialogue across Luxor, Qena, Red Sea, South Sinai, and Beheira. In the field of local development, the two sides reviewed ongoing cooperation on upgrading urban markets, public spaces, and commercial streets in Cairo, Rosetta, and Port Said. Awad said new work will begin on developing markets in Port Said and restoring historic streets in Rosetta to preserve cultural heritage, improve infrastructure, and create sustainable jobs. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
