CAIRO - 17 July 2023: Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation and the Canadian Embassy in Cairo signed a $7.57 million grant agreement for food security and climate change efforts in Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh.
As part of the "Enhancing Climate-Smart Agriculture and Agrobiodiversity to Support Adaptation in the Most Climate-Affected Rural Communities in the Old and New Lands of the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt" project, the agreement is in line with the government's efforts to implement the national platform for the "NWFE" program, linking water, food, and energy projects.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with national entities, including the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Local Development, and the National Council for Women, as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, expressed appreciation for the ongoing cooperation with Canada to enhance development efforts, including women's empowerment and climate action.
Al-Mashat highlighted the importance of the agreement signed within the framework of the "NWFE" program, which serves as a comprehensive platform for relevant parties to achieve national development and climate action goals, in addition to global objectives. It reflects the integration between bilateral development partners and the United Nations, as one of the largest multi-party organizations driving development efforts in Egypt.
The Minister stated that continuous coordination among all relevant parties will enable FAO to collaborate with national entities, including the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Local Development, and the National Council for Women, to implement the project, which aligns with Egypt's climate ambitions and its nationally determined contributions (NDC) announced last month. It also supports the state's efforts to address the ongoing war in Europe and its impact on global food supply chains and food security.
Al-Mashat added that the new agreement strengthens cooperation with the United Nations and its affiliated organizations, under the recently signed 2023-2027 strategic framework. She pointed out that ongoing efforts will be made to implement "NWFE" program commitments and announce results in cooperation with all partners during the upcoming COP28 climate conference.
Minister of Local Development, Hesham Amna, highlighted the significant importance of this project in enhancing resilience in Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh governorates through cooperation with several partner ministries, including International Cooperation, Agriculture, Environment, and the National Council for Women, in addition to collaborating with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Amna noted that the Egyptian government is working on presidential mandates to enhance partnership initiatives and cooperation with all international development governments, as well as foreign and Egyptian private sectors, to drive the green transition, reduce carbon emissions, and adapt to climate change impacts.
Canadian Ambassador to Cairo, Louis Dumas, stated that the project is a testament to the cooperation between Egypt and Canada, expressing pleasure in partnering with FAO to achieve shared goals and vision between the two countries for development. He praised Egypt's leadership and its role in organizing the COP27 climate conference.
The project aims to improve the lives of citizens in the most vulnerable rural areas of Egypt by reducing poverty rates and enhancing food security. It will assist them in developing and implementing practices that enable adaptation to climate change, ensuring that the project benefits all those whose work relies on agricultural products and food.
The project will focus on Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh governorates and will be implemented over four years from 2023 to 2027. It will achieve several objectives, including enhancing the capacity of 4,536 farmers to adapt to climate change, increasing their agricultural production and productivity by adopting climate-smart agricultural technologies and innovative practices. Additionally, it will promote agrobiodiversity for smallholders as a strategy for climate adaptation, with a focus on soil and plant health, and create an enabling environment to integrate climate adaptation and smart agricultural practices and technologies and promote biodiversity with local agricultural food systems, benefiting at least 144 rural communities.
FAO Regional Representative, Abdulhakim Elwaer, expressed gratitude to the Egyptian and Canadian governments for their continuous support, stating that FAO in Egypt serves as a model of success that can be applied in other countries. He added that FAO will collaborate with the Ministry of International Cooperation to utilize international platforms to showcase the success stories implemented in Egypt to strengthen sustainable development goals through the "NWFE" program and provide an opportunity to replicate them regionally.
FAO Country Director, Nassraddin Hage Al-Amin, said that FAO is always committed to supporting Egypt in achieving sustainable development, and they spared no effort to enhance opportunities for this purpose. He expressed delight in the signing of the agreement, emphasizing that the Canadian government played a pivotal role in formulating the project to enhance adaptation efforts, support small farmers, and strengthen food value chains within the "NWFE'' program. Egypt has always been a supporter of FAO's efforts, hosting the regional office established 70 years ago and the country office launched in 1967.
Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Egypt, Elena Panova, expressed appreciation for the strong partnership between Egypt, Canada, and FAO. She emphasized the need for more such partnerships to enhance efforts towards climate change mitigation and adaptation.
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