JCAR - Egypt & The Netherlands: Joint Cooperation in Applied Research Programme - Water

The long-term Programme for Joint Cooperation in Applied Research (JCAR) between Egypt and the Netherlands on water related topics was brought forward during the scoping mission of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as a direct request from the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to Deltares, as a result of the continued dialogue between both organisations. The water sector in Egypt is facing large challenges and requires the mobilization of all resources and the management of these resources in an integrated manner. The programme addresses the identified needs caused by these challenges. Egypt is among the countries that try to develop its economy at a fast pace. Infrastructural investments are needed to support the economic growth and to increase the well-being of the population. A study on Water Security and Sustainable Growth by OECD/GWP shows that good water management is a major precondition for economic growth. Water management in Egypt has reached a state where the quantity of water available is imposing limits on its national economic development. Being the most downstream country in the Nile Basin, and depending almost totally on the Nile River originating outside its borders, Egypt is one of the world's driest countries with a total renewable water resources dependency ratio of 97% according to FAO. The gap between the needs and availability of water is filled by drainage and wastewater reuse helping the Nile system in Egypt to reach an overall efficiency of about 79%. This, in addition to Egypt's water resources vulnerability to climate change, especially the impact of sea level rise on the coastal zone of the Nile Delta, is affecting not only water resources, but agriculture, tourism and human settlements as well. The Government of Egypt, through the National Water Resources Plan (NWRP 2037) has developed a future vision for the year 2037 based on the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). As such it promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources. It covers water quantity, surface water and groundwater and all uses of water. In order to cope with these future water challenges and meet the set NWRP 2037 objectives, the Government of Egypt in 2020 formed a permanent Ministerial Committee responsible for the integrated management of Egypt's water. In close collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the following needs have been identified: 1) Need for capacity building of the professionals involved in the implementation of the NWRP; 2) Need to develop technical solutions and tools as well as closing knowledge gaps in the identified priority areas of the NWRP by means of applied research activities; 3) Need for technical support for the Technical Secretariat of the Permanent Ministerial Committee on a multitude of topics by means of dedicated activities; 4) Need to strengthen the dialogue between the relevant agencies, stakeholders, donors and funding agencies, by means of a.o. evidence based policy briefs and creating a science-policy interface; 5) Need to improve environmental assessment system performance in the water sector.