Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilem has reaffirmed the importance of boosting Egyptian-Saudi co-operation in the water sector to address growing regional challenges and enhance water security through the exchange of expertise, advanced technologies and joint initiatives.
Sweilem met on Monday Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli on the sidelines of the first Saudi Water Week in Jeddah.
At the outset of the meeting, Minister Sweilem praised the kingdom’s leading role in supporting water issues at both regional and international levels and welcoming its preparations to host the 11th World Water Forum in Riyadh in March 2027.
Sweilem also highlighted the launch of several joint activities, including visits by Saudi and Egyptian delegations to the Bahr El-Baqar, New Delta and Shuaiba desalination plants, stressing the importance of finalising the executive programme of the memorandum to accelerate practical co-operation.
The two ministers reviewed progress in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two ministries in November 2022, including the establishment of a joint technical committee and an implementation plan covering flood risk management, dam construction and maintenance, modern irrigation technologies, sustainable water use, climate change impacts, water productivity, water policies and agricultural drainage.
The discussions also addressed coordination ahead of the 11th World Water Forum and preparations for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, where Egypt will co-chair the third interactive dialogue, “Water and Planet”, alongside Japan.
The two sides further explored opportunities under the second generation of the Water 2.0 system, particularly in desalination for agriculture, digital transformation, smart water management and groundwater recharge technologies.
