Egypt Calls for Securing Water Resources in Africa

The Egyptian Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, called for securing water resources in Africa (AFP)
The Egyptian Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, called for securing water resources in Africa (AFP)
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Egypt Calls for Securing Water Resources in Africa

The Egyptian Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, called for securing water resources in Africa (AFP)
The Egyptian Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, called for securing water resources in Africa (AFP)

Egypt called for "securing water resources" in Africa, saying it is an "inevitable" issue in light of the expected severe impacts due to climate change.

The Egyptian Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, stressed during the virtual meeting of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) the need for awareness and knowledge to face the challenges and the risks in the African continent to reduce emissions.

Cairo's call to preserve and secure water resources coincides with long-standing disputes with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Addis Ababa is building on the Nile River.

Speaking at the AMCEN meeting themed "Securing people's well-being and sustainability in Africa," the minister asserted the need for African countries to have ambitions in implementing measures to protect against climate change.

The Egyptian government lauded the efforts of the African Group of Negotiators and the African Union to support Egypt's hosting of a conference organized by the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 27), announced the minister.

The meeting will be held in 2022, said Fouad, hoping that the conference will unite the African voice on the issue.

She affirmed her conviction to support African countries and institutions to put African climate change issues at the top of their concerns.

Fouad also stressed the necessity of collective action, solidarity, and coordination among African countries to support mechanisms for implementing the Green Agenda.

"Egypt has taken many steps to prepare a framework for a green recovery strategy, and several measures have been taken in this regard, including the issuance of green bonds, the first of its kind in African countries and the Middle East," she said, explaining that the Egyptian government aims to support renewable energy projects, sustainable transport, and waste management.

Earlier, the UN Security Council issued a statement calling for negotiations leading to a "binding agreement" on the dam.

However, Ethiopia refused to recognize any demands arising from the statement of the Security Council.



Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
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Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)

The EU plans to tell Israel next week that Palestinians uprooted from their Gaza homes should be ensured a dignified return and that Europe will contribute to rebuilding the shattered territory, according to a document seen by Reuters.

That echoes Arab positions but conflicts with President Donald Trump's stated aim for the US to take over the shattered coastal strip and rebuild it into a "Riviera of the Middle East" while Gazans emigrate to other nations.

The EU, which has been a major aid provider to Palestinians, is to outline its position to Israeli officials in talks in Brussels on February 24 as part of the EU-Israel Association Council, the first such session since 2022.

A document outlining the draft EU position emphasizes both Europe's commitment to Israel's security and its view that "displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza".

"The EU will actively contribute to a coordinated international effort to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza," it said, also calling for full humanitarian access.

"The EU deeply deplores the unacceptable number of civilians, especially women and children, who have lost their lives, and the catastrophic humanitarian situation notably caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza, in particular in the North."

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been laid waste with most of its 2.3 million pre-war population displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies say.

"The EU strongly opposes all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution," the document added, referring to its position that Palestinians should have an independent homeland alongside Israel.