Yasmine Fouad, the Egyptian Minister of Environment, met with Ahmed Rizk, Director of the Egypt Office of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), to discuss potential collaboration on projects related to waste management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, urban mobility, and plastic pollution. The discussions explored cooperation in implementing the Smart Waste Infrastructure and Forecasting Telematics (SWIFT) system across multiple Egyptian cities, focusing on managing construction, demolition, and plastic waste. The proposal includes applying SWIFT in Giza as a pilot project, in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund, as part of readiness initiatives aimed at strengthening local authorities' capacities and reforming waste management policies. Additionally, the meeting addressed progress on the Sustainable Oasis Project in Farafra, a joint initiative with UN-Habitat, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Environment Facility, and the Global Biodiversity Fund. The project is designed to integrate biodiversity restoration practices with climate adaptation strategies in the New Valley region. Fouad highlighted discussions on implementing nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, with a focus on restoring ecosystems and enhancing community resilience along Egypt's northern coast. The possibility of declaring a new marine reserve on the Mediterranean coast was also explored in cooperation with the Adaptation Fund. Ahmed Rizk proposed expanding the Cairo Bike urban mobility project to other green cities such as Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, following its success in the capital. He also expressed interest in supporting the Green Hurghada and Green Sharm El-Sheikh initiatives launched by the Ministry of Environment. Furthermore, Rizk introduced an innovative project aimed at addressing plastic waste pollution by incorporating treated plastic waste into asphalt mixtures to enhance road durability while reducing environmental impact. This initiative, involving collaboration between the government, private sector, and scientific research institutions, seeks to minimize plastic waste in landfills and lower carbon dioxide emissions. Both parties agreed to prepare project proposals for discussion with government and donor agencies to assess implementation feasibility in alignment with national environmental priorities.
