Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam met with Marwan Al-Raqad, executive director of the Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to discuss strengthening water management cooperation. Sewilam expressed Egypt's readiness to expand technical and research collaboration, particularly in improving water-use efficiency and sustainable resource management. The two sides reviewed plans to host a regional branch office in Cairo.
In a meeting held in Cairo, Al-Raqad conveyed greetings from El Hassan bin Talal to Sewilam. The minister affirmed Egypt's commitment to broadening partnerships with the network, focusing on initiatives to enhance water-use efficiency and promote sustainable resource management.
The two sides reviewed arrangements for hosting a regional branch office of the Islamic network in Cairo, following a cooperation protocol signed in October 2025 during Cairo Water Week. The office is expected to serve as a hub for research and technical support, capacity-building programs, policy development, and climate adaptation strategies in the water sector across member states.
Discussions also covered preparations for a proposed rainwater harvesting project in Wadi Feiran in South Sinai. The initiative involves constructing 50 mountain lakes to mitigate flash flood risks and supply freshwater resources to local Bedouin communities, in coordination with donor agencies.
Furthermore, the meeting addressed opportunities for strengthened cooperation in training and capacity building in areas such as water management, treatment and reuse technologies, and the implementation of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus approach to advance integrated and sustainable resource management.