French Ambassador to Egypt Stéphane Romatet will inaugurate the first session of the French-Egyptian week for exchanges and meetings on urban topics on 22 November. Under the title "Sustainable City Industry", the week is organised by the French Institute in Egypt, the Economic Division of the Embassy of France, and the French Development Agency, in close cooperation with their Egyptian partners. The Sustainable City week will be held until 28 November 2017. Al-Ahram Hebdo newspaper is the official media sponsor. The week will witness many conferences and meetings with the attendance of experts, companies, representatives of civil society, and French and Egyptian decision makers. Through this major event, France, which is always committed to standing by Egypt on issues related to urban development, aspires to launch a new dynamic of partnership and cooperation with Egypt. France also has the ambition to consolidate solutions in the face of urban challenges that is adapted to the nature of Egyptian cities. The week begins with the second session of the Urban Movement Forum's "Effective Urban Transport for Sustainable Cities". The forum is organised by the French Development Agency and its French partners, Cooperation for Development and Improvement of Urban Transport and Circulation(CODATU) and the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risk, Environment, Movement, and Land Preparation(CEREMA), to address Egyptian transport partners . In the presence of the Egyptian Ministry of Transport and French experts and companies, the forum will discuss in particular the tools for planning and developing the mass transit network in Egyptian cities. The forum is expected to be opened by Minister of Transportation Hisham Arafat Mahdi and Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr. The forum will also allow French and Egyptian companies to strengthen innovative solutions for sustainable urban development in Egypt. The tangible achievements of companies in the field of energy efficient and smart cities will be presented through different channels with the participation of the following distinguished personalities and ministers: President's Advisor for National and Strategic Projects Ibrahim Mehlib, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Moahmed Shaker, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr, Minister of Environment Khaled Fahmy, and President of the New Administrative Capital Major General Ahmed Zaki Abdeen. In collaboration with the United Nations Programme for Housing and the Urban Research Programme (CLUSTER), the Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Research, and Environmental Research will bring together university professors, decision makers, and civil society representatives from France, Egypt, and the Mediterranean basin. Participants will share analyses and recommendations on innovative urban experiences. There are a number of exhibitions to be opened this week, including the Housing Cairo Exhibition at the French Institute of Oriental Antiquities on 26 November and the exhibition on "The Roofs of Cairo and Their Uses" at the Centre for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies (Sidaj). The event will also host an exhibition on photographs related to a project funded by the French Agency for Development and the European Union with the aim of enhancing employment and improving the living conditions in many slums in Cairo on 28 November at 12:30 pm at the French Institute for Development.
