FAO takes part at Cairo Water Week 2020

Water use has been growing globally at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and an increasing number of regions are reaching the limit at which water services can be sustainably delivered. By 2025, 1 800 million people are expected to be living in countries or regions with “absolute” water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under “stress” conditions. The Near East and North Africa (NENA) Region, already exposed to chronic shortage of water, will be exposed in the coming decades to a severe intensification of water scarcity due to several drivers, including demographic growth, tendency to increase food self-sufficiency to reduce vulnerability to import and price volatility, urbanization expansion, energy demand and overall socio-economic development.

Acknowledging the urgency of the water issues faced by countries of the region, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for the third year, is taking active part in Cairo Water Week, a high level global event on water issues which is convened by the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, in Cairo from 18 - 22 October 2020.

The conference aims at connecting water organizations and wider water sector industries, regional interests, and communities concerned with the broad topic of water and sustainable development. FAO is participating in five main sessions during Cairo Water Week, contributing technical expertise and bringing forward challenges and possible solutions related to the use and management of water in the region. The conference is an important platform for professional engagement, the exchange and sharing of ideas, learning from others and identifying areas for partnerships and collaborations.

The FAO's contribution to Cairo Water Week is part of the Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity (WS) launched in 2013 to promote cooperation among NENA countries for the sustainable improvement of agricultural productivity in a context of water scarcity and climatic changes.

The Technical Secretariat of the Joint Ministerial Council of the Arab Ministers of Water and Agriculture in cooperation with FAO and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), as part of the Cairo Water Week, has organized the second meeting for the High-level Joint Technical Committee for Water and Agriculture. The meeting aims to follow up on progress made in implementing the recommendations of the first meeting of the Joint Committee which took place in October 2019, and to discuss the proposed 2021-2025 action plan to operationalize the 2019 Cairo Declaration.

Furthermore, the FAO regional project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries” implemented under the WS regional initiative discuss the benefits of water accounting and auditing for coping with water scarcity in a technical session on 21 October 2020 at 12h30 PM. Water accounting and auditing (governance analysis) can support assessments and decision-making processes. It suggests a systematic approach to assess the situation and trends of supply and demands. This project is implemented by FAO and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

To register to the CWW and any events – click here.

This table summarizes FAO’s presence during Cairo Water Week: