Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilam met with Elena Panova — UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt — on Tuesday to discuss cooperation between the ministry and the UN's organisations concerned with managing water. The two sides also discussed priorities in the field of water, as well as the strategic cooperation framework for the next five years. Sweilam pointed out the suffering of many countries of the world as a result of the increasing and clear effects of climate change on the water sector, which has become a reality we are witnessing in many extreme weather phenomena around the world. He also stressed the importance of transforming international initiatives and pledges regarding mitigation and adaptation to climate changes into a reality through the implementation of projects that contribute to facing these challenges, in addition to directing international attention to the challenges related to the water and climate sector, especially in African countries. Furthermore, the meeting addressed coordination between the irrigation ministry and the UN concerning preparing for the mid-term review conference for the water contract to be held in New York in March 2023. Sweilam noted that the recommendations issued by the Fifth Cairo Water Week and water activities within the upcoming UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27) that will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh this November will be submitted for discussion during the UN mid-term conference. Additionally, the two sides reviewed the executive position of the project to enhance adaptation to climate change in the North Coast and the Nile Delta, which is funded by a grant from the Green Climate Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme.
