In continuation of the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of International Cooperation to mobilize technical support and funds to implement the “NWFE” program projects, to advance the green transformation and implement the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, the Ministry and the European Investment Bank (EIB) held a meeting to launch the technical support services provided by the bank, for the project “Enhancing Adaptation in the Northern Delta Affected by Sea Level Rise” which comes within the food pillar projects, with a grant worth €350 thousand.
Representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the EIB, and the experts who were appointed to conduct the aforementioned technical assistance participated in the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of International Cooperation in the New Administrative Capital.
The technical support efforts aim to identify various activities and investment options that can support agricultural production and food security, against the backdrop of the increasing severity of sea level rise and other impacts of climate change in the northern delta region of Egypt, with a focus on the five governorates of Port Said, Damietta, and Kafr El-Sheikh, Dakahlia, and Beheira, by conducting an assessment of climate risks and vulnerability in the northern Delta, and developing an investment plan to adapt to climate change for the northern Delta region, and technical support efforts continue for a period of 6 months.
The project “Enhancing Adaptation in the North Delta Affected by Sea Level Rise” aims to enhance the benefits of about 10 million citizens, empower smallholder farmers to implement policies related to adaptation and confronting sea level rise, and improve the response of rural communities to the effects resulting from sea level rise. This includes encouraging agricultural diversification in order to achieve food security, increase incomes, and reduce internal migration rates from these areas towards the cities. The project targets the governorates of Kafr El-Sheikh, Beheira, Damietta, Dakahlia, and Port Said. It also works to preserve the fertile agricultural area in this region, in addition to expanding the reclaimed desert lands.
For her part, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, explained that launching technical support services with the EIB for one of the projects included within the food pillar comes within the framework of the state’s directions to move forward in activating steps related to technical support and mobilizing soft development financing to accelerate the pace of project implementation in a way that enhances Efforts to implement the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, especially with regard to food security, which is a top priority for the country.
Al-Mashat indicated that these measures come as a continuation of what has been done since the COP27 climate conference, where a series of national technical meetings and discussions were held and with development partners, in addition to the EIB and the European Union sending technical missions to make the necessary arrangements to activate the technical and financial support provided. One of them is for the project, in order to maximize the partnerships implemented in order to move forward with the implementation of the projects. In this context, the European Union has allocated a grant amounting to €125 thousand to finance the preparation of the necessary study for the project in coordination with what is being prepared by the EIB, with the participation of the relevant technical authorities in the Ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation. With the aim of arriving at the optimal framework for preparing the project and making the necessary arrangements for implementation.
It is worth noting that the food pillar, within the “NWFE” program, includes 5 projects with investments of about $3.35 billion, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) takes on the role of the main development partner, and the projects are implemented in close coordination with the relevant national authorities, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. And the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
Last November, the Ministry of International Cooperation published the 1st NWFE Progress report which reviewed developments in mobilizing innovative development financing and private sector investments for the “NWFE” program, the nexus of water, food and energy projects, on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the launch of the program. A joint communique was also issued at its conclusion, which was signed by 20 development partners, international financing institutions, and global alliances in the field of climate action, where it was emphasized that development partners, international institutions, and all relevant parties will continue to support national efforts to complete all projects included in the platform.
The EIB is one of the members of the Team Europe initiative, which includes European countries and institutions. During H.E.’s visit to Brussels to attend the 10th Egyptian-European Association Council last January, Al-Mashat reviewed a comprehensive report on Egyptian-European development cooperation relations during the period from 2020 to 2023, under the title “A Shared Development Vision for Progress and Prosperity,” where she explained that in confirmation of these relations, international partnerships with the Team Europe initiative through soft financing amounted to about $12.8 billion for the government and private sectors over 4 years.
NWFE Progress Report 1: https://moic.gov.eg/news/1218
NWFE Communique: https://moic.gov.eg/news/1221