Egypt expressed its backing for the adoption of a plan to develop and apply a regional early warning systems over water and climate.
The step aims at increasing the readiness of all regional countries to address “extreme phenomena,” such as torrential rains and droughts, and protect citizens from the impact of climate change.
Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty participated virtually at a meeting of the Global Alliances for Water and Climate (GAfWaC) held on Sunday as part of the Dushanbe Water Conference hosted by Tajikistan.
He said Cairo attaches great importance to GAfWaC and works on rallying international support for the coalition at all international conferences given Egypt's scarcity of water resources.
The Alliance is one of the international initiatives that aim to achieve integration between water and climate agendas.
Its members include presidents Tajikistan and Hungary. It is also led by various relevant UN organizations, including the World Meteorological Organization, which is one of its major founders.
Abdel Aty stressed that climate change is one of the most pressing issues the world is facing, given its growing impact on water resources and food production across the world.
He called for intensifying national efforts to adapt to climate changes and providing the necessary funding to implement projects to that end, as well as taking the necessary measures to reduce emissions.
Egypt has implemented many projects in this field, including flood protection projects, which aim to protect citizens and buildings from the destructive effects of torrential rains, and beach protection projects, which aim to adapt to rising sea levels.
The minister underscored the importance of the participation of GAfWaC’s members in the COP27 Climate Summit, which will be held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh in November.
