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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

Israeli Cluster Bombs Create ‘Renewed’ Disaster in Southern Lebanon

A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)
A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)
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Israeli Cluster Bombs Create ‘Renewed’ Disaster in Southern Lebanon

A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)
A Lebanese soldier works to remove a landmine (Lebanese Army website)

Lebanon is still clearing cluster bombs dropped by Israel during the 2006 war, and reports suggest that the threat is growing. Israel is believed to be using cluster bombs again in southern Lebanon, an area already severely damaged.

While the war continues, some sources in southern Lebanon claim that Israel has dropped cluster bombs, especially in agricultural areas. This could make it impossible for farmers to use the land in the future, as unexploded bombs could detonate at any time. The danger has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries since 2006.
Before the latest conflict, Lebanon’s Mine Action Center requested four more years to finish clearing the bombs left over from 2006. However, it has not been able to confirm whether Israel has used cluster bombs in this new conflict. The center is waiting for the war to end to confirm the types of weapons used.
Hezbollah accused Israel of using cluster bombs in southern Lebanon in a statement last month, calling on international human rights organizations to condemn the attack.
Hezbollah’s statement, released on Oct. 15, said Israeli forces dropped cluster bombs in several areas, including near the towns of Aalman and Deir Siryan. The group said this action violated international law, especially during wartime.
Retired Gen.
Abdul Rahman Chehaitli, who was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the Lebanese Army during the 2006 war, explained that Israel dropped cluster bombs just two days before the war ended.
These bombs were dropped randomly, making it impossible to create accurate maps for their removal.
Chehaitli told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon received incomplete maps of the bomb locations from Israel through UNIFIL, but some areas still remain dangerous. Removing these bombs is risky and slow, and unexploded bombs still pose a major threat to civilians.
He warned that the use of cluster bombs in the current conflict could lead to another disaster once the fighting ends.
According to the Lebanese National News Agency, Israeli warplanes dropped over 5 million cluster bombs in southern Lebanon during the 2006 war. By 2020, these bombs had killed 58 people and injured around 400 others, many of whom were farmers and shepherds.
The Lebanese Army’s Mine Action Center works with UNIFIL and local and international organizations to remove these bombs. However, a lack of funding has reduced the number of organizations able to help, especially in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa.
Hassan Faqih, head of the Tobacco and Tombac Farmers’ Union in Lebanon, described the continued threat of cluster bombs. Since 2006, many farmers have been unable to use their land because of unexploded bombs. Some have been injured or disabled after bombs went off.
Faqih told Asharq Al-Awsat that areas like the town of Hamila in the Nabatieh district are still full of unexploded ordnance, preventing farmers from working. He also confirmed that Israel has used cluster bombs again in this conflict.
Local residents can recognize the bombs by their shape and the sounds they make.
Cluster bombs are dropped from aircraft or fired as missiles and contain hundreds of smaller bombs that scatter over a large area. Though intended to target military forces, they are highly dangerous to civilians, especially children.