Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aty, has met with Nasr El-Din El-Obeid, the Director General of the Arab Center for Studies of Dry Zones and Arid Lands “ACSAD” to discuss cooperation between the ministry and the center,
The meeting discussed cooperation between the two parties in the field of water resources and irrigation, and the participation of ACSAD in the activities of the Fifth Cairo Water Week and the water activities to be held within the programme of the COP27.
During the meeting, Abdel Aty pointed to the water challenges facing the Arab region due to limited water resources and the negative effects of climate change on water resources, at a time when Arab countries are striving to achieve the sustainable development goals 2030, especially the sixth goal on water.
He added that these challenges require strengthened cooperation between the Arab countries in developing water resources, developing irrigation systems, and exchanging expertise and scientific capabilities between countries, in order to achieve an increase in the flexibility of the water systems in these countries to deal with climate changes.
The minister also highlighted the importance of intensifying national efforts in all Arab countries in the field of adaptation to climate changes, and taking the necessary measures to reduce emissions to mitigate climate changes, with the need to transform international commitments into actions and projects on a large scale.
Abdel Aty and El-Obeid reviewed the proposed draft cooperation agreement between the two parties, which includes organizing scientific meetings, seminars and training courses in water resources management and raising the efficiency of its use, rainwater harvesting and protection from floods, scientific studies in the field of groundwater, studies of adaptation to climate changes, development of technical capabilities of workers in the field of water, and raising water awareness.
They also discussed arranging a conference for the Ministers of Water, Agriculture and Environment, on the sidelines of the fifth Cairo Water Week, and a meeting on water and food security to be held on the sidelines of the upcoming climate conference meetings.
Furthermore, El-Obeid pointed out to ACSAD’s participation in water activities within the upcoming climate summit, by preparing a working paper expressing the vision of the League of Arab States towards Arab food security, in addition to presenting the applied models implemented by ACSAD to adapt to climate changes in the Arab world to raise the efficiency of water resource use in the region.
