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European Investment Bank to Help Egypt Overcome ‘Scarcity of Resources’

View of a COP27 sign on the road leading to the conference area, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Sayed Sheasha
View of a COP27 sign on the road leading to the conference area, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Sayed Sheasha
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European Investment Bank to Help Egypt Overcome ‘Scarcity of Resources’

View of a COP27 sign on the road leading to the conference area, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Sayed Sheasha
View of a COP27 sign on the road leading to the conference area, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Sayed Sheasha

The Egyptian presidency has sought to put water at the heart of climate action to overcome water scarcity and improve its resources.

Dr. Hani Sewilam, Egypt’s Minister of Water Systems, and Irrigation, inaugurated on Monday the COP27’s Thematic Day for Water, announcing the Action on Water Adaptation or Resilience (AWARe), an initiative that will focus on inclusive cooperation to address water related challenges and solutions across climate change adaptation.

Sewilam said that the international initiative was prepared in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other international bodies, under the umbrella of a number of international coalitions such as the Water and Climate Coalition, the Adaptation Action Coalition, as well as the Marrakesh Partnership Climate Action Pathway Water.

Monday’s event was attended by Ambassador Ayman Amin Tharwat, Deputy Director for the Department of Climate, Environment and Sustainable Development for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Elena Manaenkova, Deputy Secretary General of WMO.

“The Global Water Crisis is affecting billions of people worldwide. The AWARe initiative will catalyze inclusive cooperation to address water as a key to climate change adaptation and its co-benefits, as well as enhanced resilience,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, the European Investment Bank plans to provide new financing to Egypt worth $1.5 billion, mostly focused on the water treatment sector, according to Gelsomina Vigliotti, the Bank’s vice president.

During an interview with Bloomberg, on the sidelines of the Climate Summit (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Vigliotti noted that the Bank would collaborate with the Egyptian government to link water, food, and energy projects in order to actualize a strategy that would be considerate of climate change in several aspects pertaining to the economy and the impact on the population.

She added that the bank would also work with Egypt in the transport and energy sectors, given their association with carbon dioxide emissions.

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Arab World

Reports: US to Withdraw All Troops from Syria

A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)
A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)
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Reports: US to Withdraw All Troops from Syria

A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)
A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)

The United States is planning to withdraw all of its 1,000 troops from Syria over the next two months, according to US media reports.

Washington will end its presence in the country after the Syrian government extended its control over the country and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces once key to fighting ISIS pledged to integrate into the state, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Television network CBS also reported on the plan, citing unnamed US officials.

The decision comes after US forces recently withdrew from some bases
in Syria including Al-Tanf and Al-Shadadi, which were used in the US-led international coalition's fight against ISIS, AFP reported.

The US is building up its military capabilities near Iran, where officials have vowed to respond to any attack by laying siege to American military outposts in the region.

US media reported Wednesday that Washington will be ready to launch strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, though Trump has reportedly not made a final decision yet.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Arab World

Canada Eases Sanctions on Syria

13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
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Canada Eases Sanctions on Syria

13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand said on Wednesday that Canada had amended its economic sanctions on Syria ‌to ease ‌restrictions related ‌to the ⁠import and export ⁠of goods, investment activities and the provision of financial and other ⁠services, according to Reuters.

"The amendments also ‌remove ‌24 entities and ‌one individual from ‌the Syria Regulations to reduce barriers to economic activity and ‌to enable transactions with state-affiliated entities ⁠in ⁠key sectors critical to Syria’s recovery," Anand said in a statement.

Arab World

Tetteh: Despite UN Engagement, No Progress in Libya Roadmap

Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)
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Tetteh: Despite UN Engagement, No Progress in Libya Roadmap

Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)

The UN’s top envoy for Libya, Hanna Tetteh, has informed the Security Council that despite active United Nations engagement, the Libyan House of Representatives and the High Council of State have failed to make progress on the first steps of the agreed political roadmap, including establishing a mechanism to select the board of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) and advancing electoral legislation.

Briefing the Council in New York on Wednesday, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General said: “Their inability to use their agreed mechanism and follow-on unilateral actions has further eroded their credibility."

Tetteh added that Libyan public perceptions reflect a growing belief that the bodies are “unable or unwilling” to deliver.

She told Council members that she has begun consultations with key actors on an alternative two-step approach aimed at restoring momentum. Should a smaller group of Libyan representatives fail to agree on the roadmap’s milestones, she warned, a broader convening would be required. “We cannot wait indefinitely,” she emphasized.

The UN envoy also issued a stark warning about escalating tensions within Libya’s judicial system.

She said “contradictory, parallel judicial decisions put into jeopardy the unity of the legal and judicial systems,” cautioning that the situation “is a red line that if crossed can undermine the unity of the state.”

She urged Libyan leaders to refrain from further escalatory steps and called on the Council to hold accountable those taking actions that threaten to fracture the judiciary.

Tetteh also warned that transnational criminal networks continue to expand, turning Libya into a major transit hub for drug trafficking and sustaining illicit economies linked to corruption and armed groups.