Ashraf AboArafe
The Third Annual Cairo Water Week (CWW) was held from 18 to 22 October. “Water Security for Peace and Development in Arid Regions – The Road to Dakar 2021” was the theme for this year’s event.
Cairo Water Week is organized by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in collaboration with the European Union (EU) alongside other national, regional and international partners. As in other years, a number of EU-supported activities accompanied the conference with the aim of raising awareness about water conservation and fostering innovative approaches to address the most pressing water challenges. Activities included a workshop on the EU-Egypt Irrigation Modernization Study and Sustainable Finance, the second edition of the EU – Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) – Egypt Water Governance and Business Forum, and the annual workshop of the EU Water Sector Technical Assistance and Reforms Support (EU Water STARS).
“Cairo Water Week is an important platform that supports Egypt’s position as a regional hub for integrated water management and knowledge sharing. It was a pleasure to participate in the high level policy dialogue conducted with the Egyptian authorities, the Union for Mediterranean and other stakeholders during the 2nd EU-UfM-Egypt Water Governance and Business Forum,” said Christian Berger, Ambassador of the EU to Egypt.
“Looking at the very successful three rounds of CWW and our partnership with the Government of Egypt and other stakeholders, we are proud to have convened six international and regional events – many of which were attended by over 500 participants, representing 27 countries and 15 international organizations,” he added.
A highlight yet again at this year’s Conference was the awards ceremony of the third national competition for water conservation. This was part of the closure event of CWW, providing an opportunity to honour the top ten contesting farmers who adopted modern irrigation methods to save water. The competition is organized the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in cooperation with the EU Delegation to Egypt with the aim of rewarding the best-case practices in modern irrigation and enhancing awareness of the contribution of modern irrigation to conserving water and increasing productivity.
195 farmers participated in the competition this year, despite restrictions due to COVID-19. Online workshops were specially created by the evaluation committee so that the shortlisted farmers could detail their case studies.
The online water conservation poster contest “Young Water Ambassadors” was another highlight. This competition aims at encouraging elementary school students to showcase their creative talents by conveying the importance of water conservation through a poster drawing. Five winners were selected out of the fifty participants.
“Using innovative and creative tools to raise the awareness of water conservation among all of us, but especially young people, is a key goal. The competitions the EU organizes together with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation are a great contribution in achieving this,” Ambassador Berger stated.
