The Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation and the Canadian Embassy in Cairo signed a grant agreement worth $7.57 million to support food security and climate change initiatives in Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh.

 

The agreement is 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, aligned with the government's efforts to implement the national platform for the "NWFE" program, which integrates water, food, and energy projects.

 

Collaborating 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), the project aims to promote sustainable agriculture practices and climate resilience in the targeted regions.

 

Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, expressed gratitude for the ongoing partnership with Canada to enhance development endeavors, particularly in empowering women and tackling climate change.

 

Al-Mashat emphasized the significance of the agreement within the framework of the "NWFE" program, serving as a comprehensive platform to achieve national development and climate action goals, as well as global objectives. It demonstrates 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 highlighted the importance of continuous coordination among all relevant parties, enabling FAO to collaborate with national entities to implement the project, in line with Egypt's climate ambitions and its nationally determined contributions (NDC) declared the previous month. The project also supports the country's efforts to address the ongoing war in Europe, which impacts global food supply chains and food security.

 

Al-Mashat stated that the new agreement further strengthens cooperation with the United Nations and its affiliated organizations, under the recently signed 2023-2027 strategic framework. She affirmed that continuous efforts will be made to fulfill "NWFE" program commitments and announce results in collaboration with all partners during the upcoming COP28 climate conference.

 

Minister of Local Development, Hesham Amna, highlighted the project's critical role in enhancing resilience in Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh governorates through collaboration with various partner ministries, including International Cooperation, Agriculture, Environment, and the National Council for Women, along with the support of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

 

Amna noted that the Egyptian government is taking presidential mandates to foster partnership initiatives and cooperation with 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, expressed contentment with the partnership between Egypt and Canada and the collaboration with FAO to achieve shared development goals and visions between the two countries. He commended Egypt's leadership and its role in organizing the COP27 climate conference.

 

The project's primary goal is to enhance the livelihoods of citizens in vulnerable rural areas by reducing poverty rates and improving food security. It will achieve this by assisting them in adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices and ensuring the project's benefits extend to all those relying on agricultural products and food.

 

Focusing on Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh governorates, the project's implementation period spans four years from 2023 to 2027. It aims to enhance the capacity of 4,536 farmers to adapt to climate change by adopting climate-smart agricultural technologies and innovative practices to increase agricultural production and productivity. The project will also promote agrobiodiversity among smallholders as a climate adaptation strategy, with a focus on soil and plant health, and create an enabling environment to integrate climate adaptation and smart agricultural practices and technologies while promoting biodiversity within 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, highlighting FAO's success in Egypt as a model that can be applied in other countries. He mentioned FAO's collaboration with the Ministry of International Cooperation to showcase the project's success stories in Egypt through the "NWFE" program on international platforms to strengthen sustainable development goals and encourage replication regionally.

 

FAO Country Director, Nassraddin Hage Al-Amin, reaffirmed FAO's commitment to supporting Egypt in achieving sustainable development and enhancing opportunities for this purpose. He expressed delight in signing the agreement and commended the Canadian government for playing 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 consistently supported 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 further partnerships to enhance efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation.