Egypt reaffirms at COP17 the necessity of shifting from drought crisis response to proactive prevention

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Dr. Hani Sweilam, stated that drought represents one of the most pressing global challenges, emphasizing the need to shift from crisis response to proactive prevention, and to strengthen early warning systems and integrated water and land management. The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation noted in a statement that these remarks were made by Minister Sweilam during Egypt’s address at the ministerial segment of the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17), held in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, where he outlined Egypt’s vision for addressing the challenges of desertification, land degradation, and drought.