Minister of Local Development and Environment Manal Awad met with Badr Al-Askar, Secretary-General of the Arab Towns Organization, at the ministry’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. Senior officials from both sides attended the meeting.
At the start, Minister Awad congratulated Mr. Al-Askar on his unanimous election as Secretary-General and expressed Egypt’s readiness to strengthen cooperation with Arab organizations. She highlighted Egypt’s achievements in eliminating unsafe informal settlements, building smart cities, improving waste management, promoting eco-tourism, and upgrading local markets.
The Minister welcomed closer coordination, especially after the merger of the ministries of Local Development and Environment. She pointed to opportunities for joint training through Egypt’s Local Development Training Center in Sakkara, as well as collaboration with the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) on issues such as climate change and protecting natural reserves.
For his part, Al-Askar thanked Minister Awad for the meeting and outlined the organization’s work in local development, environment, youth, sports, and smart cities. He emphasized that the Arab Towns Organization, founded in 1967 and headquartered in Kuwait, is a non-governmental, non-profit body with 24 Egyptian governorates and around 650 Arab cities and municipalities among its members.
He welcomed cooperation with Egypt to exchange expertise, organize training workshops, and expand membership. Both sides agreed to intensify coordination in the coming period to share successful experiences, build capacities, and strengthen Arab cooperation in urban development and environmental management.
