Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam had talks with Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Iwai Fumio on boosting bilateral cooperation in the field of water resources.
The minister lauded the distinguished cooperation between Egypt and Japan, which dates back to many years.
They also reviewed the water situation in Egypt and major challenges to the water sector, topped by limited water resources, population growth, and climate change.
The minister also posted the Japanese diplomat on genuine efforts exerted by the Egyptian State to develop the water system, under the umbrella of the second-generation irrigation system (2.0) in Egypt.
The talks also dealt with a number of projects and proposed memorandums of cooperation, including a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of providing advisory services for the maintenance, repair and replacement of lifting stations.
They also discussed a sectoral loan to implement a feasibility study for developing the irrigation system and supporting the regional training centers for water resources and irrigation, and the African Center for Water and Climate Adaptation (PAN AFRICAN).
The two sides also discussed cooperation between the Arab League and Japan to benefit from AI technologies in the area of water management, smart irrigation and agriculture, risk management, and providing training in the field of using AI technologies and Geographic Information System (GIS).
During the meeting, the minister underlined the effective cooperation between Egypt and Japan to put water on the top of the Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA) that led to the third interactive dialogue on water and climate, which was held as part of activities of the UN Water Conference in March 2024.
They also discussed Japan’s support for Action Track 5 (AT5) of the Climate Adaptation Initiative in the water sector and back the Action on Water Adaptation and Resilience (AWARe).
They also stressed the importance of continuing efforts to convey the main messages of the interactive dialogue.
For his part, the Japanese diplomat underlined the good ties between the two countries, particularly in the field of water resources.
Source: The Egyptian Gazette
