Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilem and Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad met on Monday to discuss efforts to implement the concept of “Blue Economy” in Egypt.
During the meeting, Sweilem indicated that the Egyptian state is keen to prepare an integrated strategy for the blue economy, in a way that contributes to improving the process of managing natural resources and achieving sustainable development, especially in light of the climate changes that Egypt and the world are facing that negatively affect all aspects of life, especially the water sector.
He explained that the sustainable blue economy includes a set of social and economic principles that reflect positively on current and future generations, by contributing to achieving food security, eliminating poverty, improving the standard of living, improving income, providing job opportunities, achieving sustainable development, and preserving marine ecosystems. and reliance on clean technology and renewable energy.
The Irrigation Minister explained that preserving the oceans, seas and marine resources and using them in a sustainable manner to achieve sustainable development is the 145h goal of the UN sustainable development goals, indicating that one of the main components for achieving the concept of the blue economy is nature-based solutions, especially in the coastal areas.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment stressed the necessity of concerted efforts by all state institutions to enhance efforts aimed at developing the concept of the Egyptian blue economy in light of the ambitious vision adopted by the Egyptian government under the auspices of the Prime Minister to develop the resources of this vital sector.
Fouad reviewed the measures that were taken in preparation for the start of preparing the national strategy for the blue economy, including the formation of a committee headed by the Suez Canal General Authority that includes in its membership the Ministries of Environment and Transport and the Shore Protection Authority to work on this concept, leading to obtaining funding from the World Bank in the field of the blue economy for a period of one year.
She further pointed out that it was agreed to cooperate with the WB in preparing an integrated strategy for the blue economy, explaining that when developing the strategy, the focus will be on two main components, which are nature-based solutions and ecosystem services for biodiversity.
