Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilam met with Anger Anderson, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), to discuss international efforts to adapt to climate changes in the water sector.
This meeting came on the sidelines of Sweilam’s visit to Kenya on Tuesday and Wednesday.
During the meeting, Sweilam referred to Egypt’s interest in water and climate issues, which are among the most important priorities of the Egyptian state, stressing his keenness to cooperate with the United Nations Environment Program due to the complete interdependence between water, environment and climate.
He also stressed the need to develop future visions at the global level to deal with water, environment and climate issues, in conjunction with continuing to take measures to improve the water management process, improve the environment, adapt to climate changes and mitigate their causes, especially in light of the significant and clear impact of climate change. on the water and agricultural sectors.
The minister further explained that the rise in temperature leads to an increase in water use and negatively affects the productivity of some crops, which represents a major challenge in providing water and food needs at the global level, which requires support for water and sustainable agriculture sectors and mobilizing the efforts of governments, civil society, development partners and the private sector to support water and food issues.
Sweilam pointed out that Egypt seeks to convey the voice of Africa to the world as the continent least responsible for carbon dioxide emissions and the most affected by climate change, which necessitates the search for sustainable solutions to deal with this growing challenge, with the expansion of the use of water and agricultural systems that are more flexible and appropriate to climate change, and maximizing the yield of the water unit in food production.
He also stressed the importance of international support for the water sector adaptation initiative launched by Egypt during the last climate conference COP27. The initiative deals with water and climate challenges at the global level, with priority given to developing countries, which are the least flexible in terms of confronting climate change.
Moreover, the Egyptian Irrigation Minister indicated the necessity of directing funds to areas of adaptation and mitigating the effects of climate change on water resources in the African continent, in a way that contributes to dealing with the challenges facing the water sector, achieving food security and facilitating livelihoods in the areas most in need and most exposed to the risks of climate change.
