Egypt hosts Sahel and Sahel Observatory meetings to discuss confronting climate change
In light of the intertwined environmental and climate challenges facing the African continent, the need is increasing for institutional frameworks capable of unifying visions and coordinating efforts among countries to confrontclimate changes, in a way that ensures more efficient management of natural resources and protection of development gains. The issues of desertification, water scarcity, and land degradation have become development and security issues that are directly linked to the ability of societies to stabilize, grow, and achieve food security.
From this standpoint, Egypt’s hosting of the opening events of the thirty-third session of the Board of Directors of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory is of special importance, as it is an embodiment of its role in supporting joint African action, and its belief in the importance of regional partnerships in confronting transboundary climate change. These meetings also reflect a growing trend towards adopting solutions based on science, technology and good governance, which enhances opportunities for adaptation to climate change and consolidates sustainable development paths on the African continent.
The opening session witnessed the presence of a number of ministers and officials, including Mr. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and Chairman of the Observatory’s Board of Directors, Dr. Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mr. Habib Al-Obaid, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Tunisia, Mr. Sam Cheptoris, Minister of Water and Environment of the Republic of Uganda, and Mr. Bakhit Hassan, Minister of Environment, Fishing and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Chad.
In his speech, Mr. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and Chairman of the Observatory’s Board of Directors, stressed the importance of this event in enhancing joint African action and supporting regional efforts to confront environmental and climate challenges.
The Minister of Agriculture explained that holding this session in Cairo reflects a firm conviction that regional integration and collective action have become an urgent necessity in light of accelerating climate change and increasing pressures on natural resources, noting that the meeting represents an opportunity to renew the joint commitment to supporting sustainable development paths in member states.
Resource management and confronting climate change
The Minister welcomed the participating delegations, led by the Ministers of Environment and Water from a number of African countries, stressing that the Sahel and Sahel Observatory has succeeded over the past years in consolidating its regional and international standing, through the tangible achievements it has achieved in the areas of natural resource management and adaptation to climate change in accordance with the comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially establishing partnerships to achieve the goals, clean water and sanitation, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.
He pointed out that the current environmental challenges, most notably climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and loss of biodiversity, require integrated collective responses, which enhances the observatory’s pivotal role as a supportive regional platform for exchanging experiences, building capacities, and developing sustainable solutions.
Adopting integrated policies for resource conservation
For his part, Dr. Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, pointed out that this important international event is an opportunity to discuss one of the most prominent challenges facing our contemporary world, which is the management of natural resources in light of accelerating climate changes and increasing pressures on environmental systems, which requires the adoption of integrated policies that ensure the preservation of these resources and maximize their use, as natural resources represent the basic foundation for achieving sustainable development.
Water resources represent a pivotal element in the natural resources system because they are closely linked to land issues, biodiversity and climate change. Therefore, integrated management of water resources is necessary to enhance the sustainability of ecosystems and support efforts to adapt to climate change, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.
Enhancing regional cooperation to meet challenges
Meeting challenges requires strengthening regional cooperation, exchanging experiences, and adopting integrated solutions based on science and technology, in a way that supports the sustainability of natural resources for the benefit of our peoples. The importance of the observatory is highlighted in enhancing the exchange of data and information, building capabilities, and developing the scientific tools necessary to support decision-makers. The observatory also represents a successful model of collective work based on partnership, which contributes to enhancing the ability of countries to adapt to climate challenges, and achieving rational and sustainable management of natural resources in various countries. Its components.
The Observatory also attaches special importance to developing multi-hazard monitoring and early warning systems, and employing modern technology tools, such as geographic information systems and remote sensing, to support evidence-based policies and enhance the efficiency of decision-making in line with the eleventh goal: sustainable cities and local communities, the sixteenth goal: peace, justice, and strong institutions, and the seventeenth goal: holding companies to achieve the goals.
A package of practical recommendations
The session’s meetings resulted in a package of practical recommendations that reflect the priorities of the next phase, most notably: adopting an ambitious action plan for the next phase, increasing funding allocated to climate and desertification projects, supporting digital transformation in the agricultural sector on the African continent, expanding the use of satellite applications and artificial intelligence, in addition to launching joint regional projects in water, land and agriculture. The recommendations also included raising the efficiency of early warning systems, enhancing the role of women and youth in green development, supporting food security for the most affected countries, and increasing integration between research institutions. African.
In conclusion, the meetings of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory reveal a deeper level of technical coordination or exchange of experiences between countries, becoming an expression of an African moment of realization that the battle for natural resources has become managed with the logic of reshaping the tools of control over the environmental future itself. The challenges related to water, desertification, and climate change have turned into an interconnected system that tests the ability of countries to adopt joint policies that go beyond the limits of traditional sovereignty towards cooperative sovereignty over crucial resources.
The Earth Guards Foundation confirms that the Sahel and Sahel Observatory represents an opportunity to produce applied knowledge that links science and policy, between data and decision-making, by combining resource management and enhancing their sustainability. It also believes that the true value of this transformation will remain dependent on the extent of the member states’ ability to transform technical agreements into long-term political commitments capable of withstanding fluctuations in financing and economic conditions.
