Cairo Water Week 2023 is held under the title “Action on Water Adaptation for Sustainability.”

By : Heba Abdel Fattah

The sixth edition of Cairo Water Week (CWW 2023), the region’s largest water-related event, will take place in Cairo from October 29 to November 2, 2023 under the patronage of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, with the title “Action on Water Adaptation for Sustainability”. It is co-organized by the European Union Delegation to Egypt and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. CWW 2023 will bring together policymakers, diplomats, representatives of UN agencies and regional organizations, financial institutions, water experts, key players from the private sector and media to discuss policies and plans to attract investments to the water sector and adaptation efforts to counter the impact of climate change.  

Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt, said that the water sector in Egypt is a priority for the European Union and is the most important area of cooperation with the Egyptian government, which ranges from working on water strategies to practical. He added that CWW in its sixth edition solidifies Egypt’s position as a hub for water management, water resource management for Africa, North Africa and the Mediterranean.

The European Union Delegation to Egypt is organising a number of high-level events during the CWW 2023, including the EU-Egypt Water Business Forum and the fifth EU-UfM-AFDB Water Investment Policy Forum, which will serve as a dialogue platform for policymakers and stakeholders to improve water finance and investment policies in the Mediterranean region and Africa.   With many African countries already feeling the effects of climate change, there is an opportunity for the private sector to contribute to long-term adaptation measures and to lead the charge to expedite the continent’s green transformation. 

The EU Delegation will host the first round of the Aqua Youth Dialogues on November 1st, which will include debates between EU Jeel Connectors on “The Future of Water Conservation and Management”. The Dialogue will also include a business start-up competition in which aspiring young entrepreneurs will present their water-related business start-up ideas and seek guidance from a jury comprised of seasoned business leaders and advisors. The EU will also organise an award ceremony on November 2 to honour the winners of the EU-sponsored Best Graduation Project Competition for university graduates.

The Cairo Water Week takes on increased significance this year as it follows the completion of the first global stocktake, the primary tool for assessing progress under the Paris Agreement. It also comes ahead of COP 28, which is set to take place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023, with the goal of developing a plan to accelerate climate action.   

Background on EU efforts in the water sector in Egypt:

–           The EU has contributed EUR 550 million in grants to water projects in Egypt over the last decade.

–           These grants leveraged concessional funds of nearly EUR 3 billion in the sector with other European financial institutions.

–           The existing co-funded programmes extend over 16 Egyptian governorates.

–           These programmes provide nearly 20,000 permanent job opportunities and over 60,000 short-term job opportunities mainly in rural areas.

–           This helps to improve the quality of life of almost 18.5 million inhabitants in Egypt by the year 2024, helping reduce poverty in line with the government’s Sustainable Development Strategy- Vision 2030.