Egypt reinforces UNESCO partnership on water and climate

CAIRO, Egypt (MNTV) — Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hany Sewilam, met with Nouraia Sanz, Regional Director of UNESCO’s Cairo Office, to reaffirm Egypt’s continued cooperation with the United Nations agency on water management and climate adaptation, the ministry said.

Sewilam praised UNESCO’s support to Egypt and the wider region in areas such as water governance, science, culture, and sustainable development, stressing the need to deepen collaboration to manage water resources and enhance resilience to climate change impacts.

The ministry statement said discussions covered joint initiatives under the AWARe programme, particularly the “Green Water Dialogue” track, and highlighted UNESCO’s regional survey linked to the initiative and its support for a high-level event held in November 2025.

Sewilam also noted UNESCO’s backing of regional water training centres, including the African Centre for Water and Climate Adaptation (PACWA), and commended a climate risk decision-analysis training programme held in June 2025 that aimed to build technical capacity across Africa and the Middle East.

He emphasized the importance of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme as a core framework for scientific research, knowledge exchange and capacity building in the water sector.

The minister also thanked UNESCO for its role as a strategic partner of Cairo Water Week since its inception, saying the organisation’s involvement has helped raise the event’s international profile.