Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aty met on Tuesday with Rashid Mubazi — the Executive Secretary of the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) — to discuss cooperation and coordination between the ministry and the council. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to enhance the role of the African Water Ministers Council in serving the water issues and challenges facing the countries of Africa and achieving cooperation among African countries in the field of water. Abdel Aty also stressed Egypt's keenness to support development in all African countries through the implementation of several projects in the field of water, with Egypt's readiness to exchange experiences and provide technical support in the field of water resources to all African countries. Furthermore, the country is scheduled to assume the presidency of the council for the next session that will be held in 2023 and 2024. The council is considered the institutional entity concerned with the water file under the umbrella of the African Union. Abdel Aty also reviewed the position of the ongoing preparations for holding the Fifth Cairo Water Week and the Water Pavilion that will be setup in the Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) that will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh this November, and the cooperation between the ministry and the AMCOW in these two important events. He further pointed out the great importance that Egypt attaches to hosting the COP 27 and the Water Pavilion within its activities and seeking to come up with important recommendations to be submitted to the mid-term review conference for the water contract that will be held in New York in 2023. Moreover, Abdel Aty briefed Rashid on the measures that the ministry is currently taking to improve and develop the irrigation system and adapt to the negative effects of climate change, such as projects to rehabilitate canals and watering cans, switching to modern irrigation, projects for the reuse of agricultural wastewater, protection works from the dangers of floods, and works to protect beaches, and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities.
