Egypt's Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Sherif El-Sherbiny, met with Ahmed Rizk, Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Office in Egypt, to discuss expanding cooperation on sustainable urban development and the Egypt Vision 2030 agenda. The meeting focused on establishing priorities for joint work following the 12th World Urban Forum held in Cairo.
The meeting delved into setting priorities for joint efforts after the 12th World Urban Forum, which El-Sherbiny described as a starting point for Egypt's National Strategy for Green Urbanism and Construction, as well as the National Smart Cities Strategy. He noted that the partnership with UN-Habitat offers non-traditional solutions to enhance urban efficiency.
Rizk voiced UN-Habitat's keen interest in documenting and sharing Egypt's pioneering experiences in social housing and new city development with other countries. He stressed the need for a clear framework to build upon recent achievements in the housing sector.
Discussions spanned several technical areas for future collaboration, including urban infrastructure via seawater desalination and energy efficiency projects, alongside localizing industries linked to housing initiatives. The parties also reviewed capacity-building and training programs to improve service quality in new cities, as well as integrated planning to better connect existing urban areas with emerging communities.
Officials from the Ministry of Housing and the New Urban Communities Authority attended the session, where they examined proposed projects designed to foster balanced urban growth nationwide. El-Sherbiny affirmed the ministry's commitment to deepening the partnership in support of the state's comprehensive development strategy.