Launching Workshop of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP)
National Action Plan for Egypt 5th of March, 2015
Side-Event of the 15th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)
Workshop Report
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Dr. Hussein Abaza Lead Author for the SCP Action Plan & Senior Advisor to Minister of Environment
Dr. Hossam Allam Lead Project Coordinator and Regional Manager of the Sustainable Growth Programme, CEDARE
Mr. Fareed Bushehri United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA)
Mr. Luc Reuter United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE)
Mr. Driss Haboudane United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), MAP
Mr. Patrick Mwesigye United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Regional Office for Africa (ROA)
Dr. Ayman Abou Hadid Lead sector expert and moderator for agriculture working group and former Ministry of Agriculture
Dr. Khaled Abou Zeid Lead sector expert and moderator for the water working group and Director of Water department, CEDARE
Dr. Anhar Hegazi Lead sector expert and moderator for the energy working group and head of the Energy Efficiency Unit at IDSC
Mr. Tawfik Elkheshen Representing GIZ as lead expert entity for the waste working group. Economic and Financial Advisor for the National Solid Waste Management Program(NSWMP) ,GIZ
Workshop Title Launching Workshop of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) National Action Plan for Egypt
Organizing Institutions - The Egyptian Ministry of Environment - The Centre for Enviroment and Development for Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) -The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) - AMCEN
Date 5 March 2015 1:00 pm to 5:00 Pm
Location Dalia Room, Dusit Thani Lakeview, Cairo
Number of Attendees 60 attendees
Workshop Profile
Session Presenters
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12:00 to 1:00 Registration
1:00 to 1:30 Opening Ceremony: Keynote Speeches Presenting Egypt’s Sustainable Development Policy Agenda by Dr. Hussein Abaza
1:30 to 2:30 Session I: International and Regional SCP related Initiatives and Projects. This session will include presentations, moderated by the facilitator: Introducing the 10YFP by Mr. Fareed Bushehri, UNEP-ROWA SWITCH-Med Project by Mr. Luc Reuter, UNEP-DTIE SCP Action Plan for The Mediterranean by Mr. Driss Haboudane
UNEP-MAP SWITCH Africa Green by Mr. Patrick Mwesigye, UNEP- ROA Q&A
2:30 to 3:00 Coffee Break
3:00 to 4:30 Session II: Introduction to the SCP Action Plan and Sector Highlights.
This session will highlight the design process of the SCP Action Plan and the latest challenges and opportunities facing SCP policies in Energy, Agriculture, Water and Municipal Solid Waste.
Introducing the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Action Plan for Egypt by Dr. Hossam Allam
The process of designing the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Action Plan for Egypt by Ms. Sina Hbous
Presentations by sector experts and facilitators: - Energy: Dr. Anhar Hegazi - Agriculture: Dr. Ayman Abou-Hadid - Municipal Solid Waste: GIZ - Water: Dr. Khalid Abuzeid
Q&A
4:30 to 5:00 Session III: Closing Remarks and the Way Forward
-Egyptian Minister of Environment, Dr. Khaled Fahmy -Executive Director of CEDARE, Dr. Nadia Makram Ebeid
5:00 to 6:00 Lunch Reception and Networking
Workshop Agenda
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The workshop was held under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Environment
on the 5th of March, 2015, during the deliberations of The 15th African Ministerial
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) which in turn was held starting 2nd till the
6th of March and hosted by Egypt in Dusit Thani Lakeview, Cairo.
A USB-key had been distributed to orient workshop participants and familiarize them
with the “Sustainable Consumption and Production” concept and available possibilities
of integrating it into national policies. The USB-key included:
- Flyers and Brochures as background information on the 10FYP programme; - ‘Green Economy Scoping Study’ report by CEDARE on behalf of UNEP and Egyptian Ministry of Environment; - ‘Egypt Green Success Stories’ report by CEDARE on behalf of UNEP and Egyptian Ministry of Environment; - ‘Roadmap to a National SCP Action Plan for Egypt’ report for the SWITCH-Med Project, Egypt; - Draft copy of the Egypt’s SCP State of Play report; - Copies of the presentations given during workshop deliberations.
The workshop was structured into an opening ceremony, two main sessions, and a
closing session in addition to one intermittent coffee break intended for networking.
In A networking lunch was also held after the closing of the workshop and attended by
participants.
Workshop Executive Summary
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In the opening session, welcoming statements were made by Dr. Hossam Allam
representing the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and
Europe (CEDARE), Dr. Mohamed Abdel Monem representing the Egyptian Ministry of
Environment and Dr. Hussein Abaza senior advisor to the Minister of Environment.
All keynote speakers stressed the importance of sustainable development for
economic and social development in Egypt and importance of adopting sustainable
consumption and production policies. SCP policies constitute an important policy tools
for facilitating the transition to a green and more sustainable economy.
Dr. Hussein Abaza senior advisor to minister of Environment and the Egypt SCP Action
Plan lead author, has given an extended overview of Egypt’s current efforts to
integrate sustainable development policies in different sectors and its overall policy.
Thus setting the stage for presentations and interventions by experts and participants
at the workshop.
The first session mainly aimed at providing attendees with regional and international
experiences regarding SCP related initiatives and programmes. The second session
dealt with mapping the current challenges and the status quo of each targeted sector
in the study, to cover (i) Agriculture, (ii) Energy, (iii) Water and (iv) Municipal Solid
Waste. A sectoral overview for each sector was given by a leading specialized expert.
The session also included discussions and questions reflecting both the interest and
concern of participants.
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During the closing session Mr. Angel Gutierrez Hidalgo, Head of the Economic
Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation in Egypt, Ms. Yasmine Fouad Assistant to the
Minister of Environment and H.E. Former State Minister of the Environment Dr. Nadia
Makram Ebeid Executive Director of CEDARE made remarks in support of the future
steps that will be taken to develop the SCP action plan.
The objective of the workshop was to unveil the process of developing and drafting the
Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) National Action Plan for Egypt and
highlight potential opportunities and challenges for promoting SCP policies in the
targeted four sectors; Agriculture, Water, Energy and Municipal Solid Waste.
The workshop aimed at emphasizing the participatory approach to be adopted in
developing the action plan. There are two levels of coordination between different
stakeholders; through a steering committee representing different line ministries and
four working groups for technical contributions.
The workshop targeted experts, officials and government representatives, private
sector, and relevant NGOs. Participants were identified on the basis of a mapping
process, including potential participants of the working groups for the four sectors. The
selection process is also aimed at facilitating securing the necessary data and
information for undertaking the project.
Attendees included specialized experts in the targeted sectors, Government officials
and guests from different Ministries, Research Institutions, Associations, International
Organizations, the Private Sector, and the Civil Society. Ministries represented at the
workshop included Ministry of Electricity, Agriculture, Environment, Industry and
Water resources. United Nations organizations represented at the meeting included
the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Workshop Objective
Workshop Participants
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Opening Ceremony
Dr. Hossam Allam conveyed to the
attendees the warm welcomes of H.E former
Minister of Environment Dr. Nadia Makram
Obeid and Executive Director of CEDARE. He
underscored the importance of introducing
the concept of sustainable consumption and
production in Egypt across major and priority
sectors with the aim of gradually
mainstreaming related policies into Egypt’s
sustainable development policy framework.
He gave a brief introduction regarding the
partnership between CEDARE, the Ministry of
Environment and UNEP in supporting the SWITCH-Med policy component in
Egypt. He underscored the importance of utilizing what SWITCH-Med has to
offer to the maximum benefit of proactive design of SCP policies at a national
level.
Session and Presentation Summaries
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He acknowledged the support and funding provided by the EU. He also stressed
the important role of the Ministry of Environment in expediting an agenda for
sustainable development, which is currently being endorsed by high level
officials in different sectors.
He gave a summary of the consultation process that has already been adopted
to develop the action plan starting with the launching workshop and followed
by technical working groups meetings to provide concrete and relevant
information needed to develop a realistic and implementable sustainable
consumption and production (SCP) action Plan.
He also mentioned that the action plan is another significant cornerstone to
support green economy policies after the launching of the ‘Egypt Green
Economy Scoping Study’ during the Africa Green Economy Workshop, which was
held on the 28th of February at a pre-meeting to the AMCEN conference in Egypt.
Dr. Hossam concluded by thanking UNEP representatives, acknowledging the
important supportive role they are providing to the Egyptian Government in
adopting SCP policies, which is appreciated by the Government. He hoped that
this close and mutual cooperation would continue to benefit Egypt’s current
attempts towards a green economy transition.
Representing the Minister of Environment H.E Dr.
Khaled Fahmy, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Monem the
Minister’s advisor, has expressed his Ministry’s
perpetual support for the SCP action plan and the
importance of endorsing it after its finalization as
another significant step to support sustainable
development in Egypt. He pointed to the
importance of the ongoing cooperation between
the Government, CEDARE and UNEP towards this
end. He expressed the Ministry’s hope and
determination to continue with the current agenda
and activities in support of mainstreaming SCP
policies and raising awareness about its importance
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to different community stakeholders. This will facilitate and accelerate the
process of adopting SCP policies.
Dr. Hussein Abaza, the lead author for the
action plan provided a detailed and positive
sustainable policy outlook for the Egypt, given
his insider’s view of recently launched
initiatives and policies. He first discussed the
SCP framework that stated with the Rio
Conference followed by 2002 Johannesburg
Summit & the Marrakech Process. He
reiterated that at the UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20), Heads of
State reaffirmed that promoting SCP is one of the overarching objectives &
essential requirements for sustainable development. Furthermore, Heads of
State reconfirmed their commitment to accelerate the shift towards SCP patterns
with the adoption of the 10-Year Framework Programme on SCP (10YFP).
The 10YFP is a concrete & operational outcome of Rio+20. It responds to the
2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation & builds on the 8 years’ work of the
Marrakech Process, on regional and national SCP strategies & initiatives, as well
as on the National Cleaner Production Centers & other SCP best practices
engaging a wide range of stakeholders.
Dr. Hussein then provided an overview of the current policy agenda in Egypt.
Though the new Egyptian Constitution clearly states that Egypt should pursue a
sustainable development path there is yet to be a strategy to achieve this
objective. Unsustainable consumption & production patterns continue to
represent one of the main challenges facing Egypt resulting among other in the
inefficient allocation & use of resources, increased generation of solid &
wastewater, & pollution.
He noted that unsustainable consumption patterns are in many instances
attributed to inherent cultural & social habits while unsustainable production
patterns is due, among other, to the lack of incentive and regulatory measures.
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He stated that Inter-ministerial coordination & policy harmonization is a
necessary prerequisite for SCP. Institutions, enforcement & implementation
ability & tools need to successfully turn strategies into operational action plans
with clear targets & benchmarks. There is also a need for stakeholders’
participation, including civil society, associations & the private sector in policy
formulation & implementation. It is necessary to have a public system of checks
and balances & a strong monitoring & evaluation mechanism to review progress
& bottlenecks.
First Session: International and Regional SCP related Initiatives and Projects
The second Session commenced with a detailed
presentation of 10YFP framework by Mr. Fareed
Bushehri, UNEP-ROWA. He started his presentation with
a definition of the 10YFP, stating that it is a global
framework of action to enhance international
cooperation to accelerate the shift towards SCP in both
developed and developing countries. Enhancing SCP
requires fundamental changes regarding how societies
produce and consume. Different stakeholders, including
civil society and the private sector have an important
role to play in supporting SCP.
He then moved on to discuss the objectives of the 10YFP, indicating that it aims to
accelerate the shift towards SCP in all countries by supporting regional and
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national policies and initiatives. It also targets resource efficiency and the
decoupling of economic growth from environmental degradation, thus creating
new job opportunities and contributing to poverty alleviation.
The 10YFP support capacity building and serves as an information and knowledge
sharing platform on SCP policies, tools, initiatives and good practices, and
enhancing cooperation and implementation.
He gave a summary of the structural organization of the framework including a
board and a secretariat hosted by UNEP. The board includes 10 members
representing Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Western Europe. One
of the key functions of the board include the sharing of information on the 10YFP
and enhancing coordination and cooperation on SCP within countries across
different ministries and with all stakeholders. He also referred to the five indicative
programmes of the 10YFP and mentioned a new programme on sustainable food
systems as a new addition. Finally, he introduced the SCP clearing house and the
10YFP Trust Fund to attendees.
After this presentation, Mr. Luc Reuter of UNEP-
DTIE, introduced the SWITCH–Med project and
thanked the EU for being a generous donor in
supporting green economy and sustainable
consumption and production. SWITCH-Med
project partners include the EU, United Nations
Industrial Development Organisations (UNIDO),
United Nations Environment Programme -
Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP), its
Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable
Consumption and Production (SCP/RAC) and
UNEP-DTIE (Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics). Mr. Luc referred to the expertise
found in the room related to implementing of SCP
policies as a good indicator and mentioned that the work done by the project
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builds and establishes synergies with work done by other UN programmes and
bodies operating in Egypt.
He mentioned that UNEP has developed similar national projects in about 25-30
countries. The SWITCH Med project title is not an abbreviation but it is indicative
for the need to switch to more efficient consumption of resources. Mr. Luc also
stressed on the importance of local experience and the use of existing traditions
in developing SCP policies rather than take complete case studies or examples
from Western developed countries.
He referred to Egypt’s long existing agricultural expertise that could be used to
make the sector more sustainable. However, there are successful examples that
could be used from developed countries, so it is a two way process, a combination
of national, regional and international experiences and expertise.
The project targets countries in the Mediterranean including: Egypt, Syria, Jordan,
Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Israel and Algeria. It aims to support
policy makers through a regional and a national policy component. It also aims to
create a networking facility to connect all stakeholders and provide demonstration
projects. According to Mr. Luc, the policy component reinforces circular economy
in the Mediterranean governance framework and the mainstreaming of SCP in
national policies, while pilot projects aim at providing practical experience on the
ground.
On the other hand, the Networking Component aims at facilitating regular
exchange of knowledge, experience, and lessons learned among all key
stakeholders and the scaling-up of pilot activities. UNEP is supporting targeted
countries in developing national SCP action plans.
He further stressed the importance of not producing another strategy or a
document but rather an action plan that could be implemented with clear
outcomes. In the case of Egypt, the project team is not starting from scratch,
CEDARE in collaboration with EEAA has already undertaken a Green Economy
Scoping Study for Egypt. There was no need to do a detailed SCP assessment but
rather update and then build on the 4 focus areas already adopted by the green
economy study. Other countries like Lebanon and Morocco started with a detailed
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SCP assessment. Mr. Luc had also given a brief introduction about existing tools
and the SWITCH-Med website of the project that countries and experts could
benefit from.
Mr. Driss Haboudane UNEP-MAP gave a
presentation describing the Barcelona
convention based in Athens which he
represents. He discussed the regional policy
component of the SWITCH- Med project. He
began presenting the Barcelona convention
or the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and
the SCP regional action plan elaboration
process and structure. He also presented the
project overall mission and objective and the
roadmap to implementation regarding the regional SCP action plan.
Accordingly, the MAP is a regional cooperative effort involving countries bordering
the Mediterranean Sea. These countries which are also contracting parties to the
Barcelona Convention and its Protocols are determined to meet the challenges of
protecting the marine and coastal environment while boosting regional and
national plans to achieve sustainable development. The Mediterranean region is
characterized by a complex and large marine and coastal ecosystem rich in
biodiversity, seas, rivers, and watersheds.
Each country has its own ecosystem, population density, urbanization rates and
unique characteristics, which makes a regional action plan all the more
challenging.
The SWITCH MED project is a way to implement the Mediterranean Action Plan.
According to Mr. Driss there are many similarities and synergies that can guide the
preparation of Egypt’s SCP action plan. Mr. Driss went through the different
phases of creating the regional Mediterranean action plan including a preliminary
phase, preparatory phase, consultation and then finally the validation process.
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The final presentation of the session was that of
Mr. Patrick Mwesigye, from UNEP-ROA who gave a
brief account of the SWITCH Africa Green Project. He
stated that the project which is supported by the EU
builds on past and ongoing SCP and Green Economy
activities, including the development of national SCP
programmes and the implementation of Switch
Projects in Asia and the Mediterranean Region.
He also briefed the meeting on ongoing Green
Economy Advisory Services and Assessments
provided by UNEP and the Joint UNIDO-UNEP Resource Efficient and Cleaner
Production Activities.
The project is implemented in Mauritius, Uganda, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ghana and
South Africa and also utilizes linkages with the programmes of the global 10YFP on
SCP and UNDP activities in African countries. Mr. Patrick then presented the
different components of the project. He presented the component which deals
with policy support to build on and scale up existing activities to promote the
development of SCP and green economy policies and regulatory frameworks in
targeted countries.
This component also provides technical support to establish and strengthen the
enabling conditions necessary to promote SCP in the selected target sectors in the
respective countries.
Component B on the other hand, targets green business development by providing
technical support to SMEs to introduce green technology application and cleaner
production approaches. Finally, the last component was about creating a
networking facility to ensure information distribution and equitable access to it.
Regarding the implementation modality of the project, he stated that UNEP has
the overall coordination and management responsibility of the project, while a
joint UNEP-UNDP Implementation Team was established to facilitate the
coordinated implementation of the project.
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Second Session: Introduction to the Egypt SCP Action Plan and Sector
Highlights
Introducing the Sustainable Consumption
and Production (SCP) Action Plan for Egypt,
Dr. Hossam Allam began his presentation
with a definition of SCP, relating it to the life
cycle approach. The concept of sustainable
consumption and production (SCP) covers
both supply and demand when addressing
integrated management of natural
resources. On the supply side, sustainable
production entails the manufacturing of
goods and the provision of services in an
environment friendly manner. While on the
demand side, sustainable consumption entails meeting consumer needs by
improving quality of life and wellbeing without harming the environment.
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Dr. Hossam acknowledged the significance and benefit of SCP, as it encourages a
more efficient use of resources, which offers benefits to society, the environment
and the economy. Moreover, changing the consumption patterns of consumers
can help drive resource efficiency thus generating direct net cost savings.
He also stressed that Egypt is in need of a paradigm shift starting with the
government directives and related policies up to on the ground projects adopted
by the private sector. He highlighted Egypt’s need for high employment rates,
proper natural resource management, and poverty reduction in addition to
achieving water, food, and energy security. He mentioned that Egypt needs
approximately about 700,000 jobs annually, especially that the population growth
rate is about 2.2-2.4% annually. He also stated that Egypt’s carbon emissions has
increased by over than 136% since 1990, while the country’s ecological footprint
per capita grew 94% between 1961 and 2008. In order to assist Egypt’s green
transition there should be an overall supportive government directive reinforced
by strategies and action plans that can be implemented through projects and
initiatives.
Keeping this in mind, Dr. Hossam briefed the meeting about the preparation
process of Egypt’s SCP Action Plan. Under the national policy component SWITCH-
Med project, funded by the EU, the Centre for Environment and Development for
the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) has partnered with the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment to
develop a sustainable consumption and production (SCP) national action plan.
The action plan will focus on four priority natural resource and strategic sectors.
These include: Water, Agriculture, Municipal Solid Waste, and Energy. Sectors
have been identified on the basis of the extent of their significance to economic
development and human welfare. The objective of the action plan is to
mainstream the SCP concept and policies into overall sustainable development
policies, programmes and strategies. The action plan also builds on the
recommendations of the Green Economy Scoping Study, which has been endorsed
by the Government and the output of which is being integrated in national
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strategies. The launching of the study was on the 28th of February during a pre-
meeting AMCEN press conference event.
Ms. Sina Hbous sustainable development expert
for CEDARE, provided the audience with a brief
summary of the inception and preparatory phases of
the SCP action plan. A meeting was held between
CEDARE and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment on
the 4th of December, 2013. During the meeting there
was an agreement to adopt a policy integrative
approach as an operational objective of the SCP action
plan. It was agreed that the SWITCH-Med technical and
funding resources should provide a concrete and
actionable deliverables. Based on this, all partners
opted for developing an action plan rather than another additional strategy to be
added to existing ones.
The action plan will build on the green economy scoping study and will be aligned
with existing and forthcoming national strategies, including the Sustainable
Development vision 2030, which is currently being developed by the Ministry of
Planning. The same focus areas adopted by the green economy scoping study will
be adopted by the SCP action plan, the recommendations for each sector will be
taken and turned into actionable activities integrated in the action plan.
In a second meeting that was held on the 6th of July 2014, with the Ministry of
Environment, it was decided to adopt a multi-stakeholder consultation process to
develop the action plan. Accordingly, a steering committee was established by the
Ministry of Environment to ensure harmonization and avoid conflict and work
repetition by different line-ministries.
This will also ensure that the developed SCP national action plan is in line with the
overall framework of sustainable development set by the Egyptian Government.
The steering committee will convene twice during the course of developing the
action plan.
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Under the steering committee, 4 working groups will also be established for each
respective sector to provide technical feedback and identify challenges and
opportunities facing SCP on a national level. These working groups will also suggest
sector-specific activities, and enabling conditions needed to integrate SCP policies
in macro-economic and sectoral policies.
Two meetings for each working group will be held for this purpose. Although not
being adopted as the final design of the action plan, in a coordination meeting that
was held for sector lead experts, it was decided that for each sector two focus
areas will be identified to narrow the scope of the sector and provide realistic
implemental solutions. After identifying the two focus areas for each sector,
recommendations and solutions will be provided through identified policies and
projects.
Under the policy component of the action plan solutions will be proposed,
including the amendment existing laws. Recommendations should be
implementable and practical. Regarding the project’s component, a template for
suggested projects that can be implemented on the ground will be proposed. The
proposed projects will be as detailed as possible in order to provide the
Government with ready to execute models rather than general project concept
ideas.
Starting the presentations for sectors, Dr. Anhar Hegazi,
the head of the Energy efficiency Unit at the
Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC) under
the umbrella of the Cabinet of Ministers presented the
energy sector. She diagnosed the current challenges
facing the sector by stating that there are existing
trends of inefficient and unstainable use of energy. A
gap in energy production has first appeared in 2007 and
reached about 32 million ton megawatt. Currently
Egypt requirements for energy mainly depend on oil
and natural gas, while the share of renewable energy
represents only 2%.
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As she has noted, the sector suffers from a weak institutional base, high energy
subsidies, and lack of regulatory compliance. The recommendations from the
green economy scoping study, as she was also the sector expert for this study,
highlighted the importance of adopting energy efficiency measures, and
diversification of energy production sources, and an increase fuel explorations. It
also calls for higher engagement of the private sector.
Dr. Anhar specifically pointed out to the unsustainable consumption trends in
lightening and air conditioning. In 2012 the number of air conditioners reached
5.75 million units, while 25% of inefficiency of energy consumption is due to
lightening. Stressing the importance of integrated policy making, Dr. Anhar
pointed out that the SCP action plan needs to be aligned with the overall strategy
for sustainable development that will be adopted by Egypt.
The strategy will include targeting energy savings reaching 10% of the total amount
of consumed energy in 2010 by 2022 and 20% saving by 2027. She also stated that
a number of initiatives have been launched to raise awareness for energy
efficiency and more sustainable consumption with several projects being launched
to support solar energy production, especially in the industrial sector.
Dr. Ayman Abou Hadid, the agriculture lead expert
and former minister of agriculture provided a detailed
presentation reflecting the current status of the
agricultural sector. He stressed that agricultural input
in the form of land and water is increasingly becoming
problematic in Egypt, where the country now suffers
from water scarcity and noticeable land degradation
and erosion. He also referred to the potential
negative impacts of climate change on Egypt and the
increasing population, agricultural land
encroachment, land fragmentation, and weak
cooperatives and extension services.
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These factors directly threaten crop productivity and the aggregate total cultivated
land. An integrated sustainable water management system and practices are
urgently needed, in addition to addressing institutional fragmentation and
legislative gaps. As for opportunities, the sector has a strong research base, high
demand for agriculture produce, existing local market, cheap labor and
institutional expertise. He stated that the main focus areas of the action plan in
the agricultural sector will be on farm improvement of old land, land reclamation
in agro industrial complexes and the use of renewable energy.
Mr. Tawfik Elkheshen in his capacity as economic and
financial Advisor for the National Solid Waste
Management Program (NSWMP) and representing
GIZ as the project’s lead expert entity for the
municipal waste working group, presented diagnostic
figures to reflect its current status. He stated that
Municipal solid waste (MSW) reached 21.1 million
tons/year in 2010, while MSW generation growth is
annually estimated at 2.0% per year. Municipal Solid
Waste collection coverage in urban areas is in the
range of 40-85%, while it drastically decreases in rural
areas to reach between 0% - 35%.
He pointed to the fact that only 60% of 21.1 million ton/year of municipal solid
waste is currently collected and only less than 20% is properly disposed of or
recycled. He stated that the cost of environmental degradation as a result of
improper waste management amounts to 0.2-0.4 % of GDP in 2010. This is the
result of a lack of coherent strategic or legal framework to orient the sector,
unclear allocation of responsibilities, lack of funds and insufficient capacities for
planning and operations. Changing consumption patterns, population increase and
diversification of waste streams are posing significant challenges to the
Government in dealing with waste.
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The NSWMP approach is to support a joint national sector reform programme
and create a national institution as a competent center and change agent. In
addition to the development of new financing mechanisms and instruments and
engaging different community stakeholders, including the private and civil
sectors. For the purpose of developing a precise SCP action plan the main focus
areas that GIZ and the NSWMP will focus on is the problem of light weight plastic
packaging waste, and product take back systems to directly address
unsustainable consumption behaviors.
Dr. Khaled Abou-Zeid, the water sector lead
expert and department of water director at CEDARE,
emphasized that water scarcity is one of the major
problems that will impact Egypt socially,
environmentally and economically. He defined
sustainable water consumption as ensuring its
availability for future generations and its availability for
social and economic development. He stated that
recycling and reusing both domestic and industrial
wastewater increases the volume of water available for
production and treatment energy production.
He specifically tackled the issue of sanitation services and wastewater. He
stressed the fact that current business as usual of Egypt’s water supply will lead
to a huge gap between demand and supply. He also pointed out to Egypt’s water
scarcity problem, stating that 85% of the country’s water supply comes from the
Nile. Main reasons behind water scarcity, is the increase of bottled water
facilities, tourism, agricultural irrigation and municipal consumption. It is
therefore vital to promote sustainable water consumption and production.
According to Dr. Khaled, among the challenges for Egypt’s sustainable water
productions is also the Nile water management in the other Nile countries.
Considering the demand side, he presented the importance of irrigation,
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domestic, industrial and commercial water savings, approaches, methods and
applications as the way forward to address demand side excessive consumption.
On the supply side, there is a need to invest and adopt non-conventional water
resources such as wastewater treatment and desalination.
The session concluded with a question and
answer session. Main issues raised included
challenges facing the greening of the private sector,
the process of utilizing agricultural sustainable
practices in national agriculture projects and the
need to address outdated irrigation practices. Public
institutions has yet to endorse more sustainable
projects that can be implemented and act as models
to be replicated. Dr. Walid Darwish representing the
Social Fund for Development (SFD), stressed the
importance of addressing projects that can be implemented by SMEs.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail from the Ministry of Environment commended the choice of
having the National Solid Waste Management Programme facilitate the waste
sector. He stated that there is a need to have specific focus areas as the sector
has many challenges and not all of them can be addressed through the projects
that will be proposed by the action plan.
Closing Session: International and Regional SCP related Initiatives and Projects
Dr. Hossam Allam reiterated the active role of the Ministry of Environment in
supporting CEDARE’ in organizing the workshop as a side event of the AMCEN.
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This reflects the government’s serious stance, national ownership and leadership
in the SWITCH-Med project and it’s entailed SCP Action Plan. He thanked the
different UN organizations operating under SWITCH-Med and also acknowledged
the important role of the EU in supporting sustainable development through
funding the project. He underscored the constructive developmental role that
UNEP has been playing in supporting the country’s sustainable development
policy agenda. UNEP as he reiterated, continue to extend technical and financial
support through a series of projects and studies that are focused on providing
advisory and informational access to policy tools and recommendation for
national ministries and decision makers.
He gave the floor to Mr. Angel Gutierrez Hidalgo, Head of the Economic
Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation for his closing remarks.
Mr. Angel Hidalgo addressed the audience by
extending his appreciation for organizing a successful
even by the Ministry of Environment and CEDARE. He
conveyed the greeting of the Head of the EU
delegation in Egypt Ambassador James Moran. He
stated that this action plan is financed by the SWITCH
Med Programme, one of the SWITCH-Med
programmes applied in different parts of the world.
This programme was of a particular significance to the Union for the
Mediterranean as it aims to bring countries of the region together to support and
promote development practices and policies, including the promotion of SCP and
decoupling of environmental degradation from development activities.
Egypt has a high population growth rates, and other challenges, thus necessitating
action to be taken as soon as possible to address these challenges. Environmental
degradation has a high economic cost which face is both developed and
developing countries. However, the lack of resources in less developed countries
pose a challenge for investment and funding in environment related activities.
There is a need to design policies to change the status quo such as the phasing
out of subsidies. The SWITCH-Med programme has stresses on resource efficiency
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and the use of renewable energy and water resources. Developing a circular
economy with emphasis on social inclusiveness.
The EU is commitment to apply and endorse these priorities in its internal
development policies and through its international cooperation programme. The
SWITCH-Med programme was developed with this objective in mind. This
programme is considered one of the largest regional programmes covering the
Mediterranean region. The EU work in Egypt is focused on sustainability in energy,
water, access to health services and agricultural sustainability. It is encouraging
to see that EU’s support is supporting the Government and the EU remains a
strong partner and looking forward for further partnerships ahead.
Ms. Yasmine Fouad, representing the Minister of
Environment H.E Dr. Khaled Fahmy, expressed the
Minister’s regret for not being able to attend due to
his assumption of the Presidency of AMCEN. The
Ministry of Environment recognizes the benefits of
the SCP action plan and is looking forward to the
development of the final and launching it as part of
the Ministry’s effort towards achieving sustainable
development. Starting 2006, the Ministry of
environment has strived to mainstream sustainable
development into the national policy agenda and currently with the assistance of
Dr. Hussein Abaza, a sustainable development unit has been established at the
Ministry. The Ministry of Environment represented by Dr. Hussein and a team of
experts from outside and from within the Ministry is currently closely working
with the Ministry of planning in the development of the 2030 sustainable
development strategy for Egypt.
The Ministry of Environment would strive to ensure that the outcome of Green
Economy study and the SCP action plan will be integrated in overall Government
policies. The SCP action plan can be considered a cornerstone and will support
Egypt’s Presidency of AMCEN. This directly feeds into Egypt’s main objective of
developing a regional programme for sustainable consumption and production
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for Africa during its AMCEN’s Presidency. The action plan will provide necessary
experience to facilitate such an endeavor.
Finally, H.E former Minister of
Environment Dr. Nadia Makram the current
Executive Director of CEDARE welcomed
attendees, including former ministers,
national experts and representatives of
international organizations. She emphasized
in her closing remarks that green economy
concept should be well understood and
appreciated by the general public. She
believes that experts and officials attending
the workshop have what it takes to develop a
realistic SCP action plan with clear recommendations and projects and
outcomes. Integrating SCP policies into local governance agenda is vital for
Egypt’s economic and social development.
In spite of the current challenges, the task can be accomplished. Egypt will draw
on national expertise to support a green transition in all sectors and to cement
the principles of sustainable development.
However, CEDARE is not looking to develop another strategy but rather through
the consultation process to be followed in developing this action plan, actual
projects that could be implemented on the ground, is the main objective. She
stressed on three main considerations to ensure the success of the development
process of the SCP action plan. These include having a clear vision of what is
needed, ensuring the engagement and cooperation with all relevant
stakeholders, and diligent work to ensure quality of outcome. Focus should be
on maintaining continuous dialogue, information dissemination and involvement
of relevant stakeholders. The stressed that the right time to act is now.
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After the launching workshop and as have been clearly mentioned during the
closing remarks by Dr. Hossam Allam, next operational objectives to develop the
action plan include:
First Working Groups and Steering Committee Meetings
First Draft of the Action Plan (Integrating 4 sectors)
Second Working Groups and Steering Committee Meetings
Second Draft of the Action Plan
Validation Workshop
Finalized Action Plan
The way forward
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GIZ & National Solid Waste Management Program (NSWMP) GIZ
Egypt MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE SECTOR
Since 1956, GIZ has been implementing projects in all parts of the country on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). They also work on behalf of other German public sector clients and international organisations. The GIZ departments responsible for vocational training and networking for managers and experts have a particularly important role to play during the political transition. At present, a total of 220 staff (50 seconded experts and 170 national experts and support staff) are working for GIZ in Egypt. National Solid Waste Management Programme (NSWMP) is being implemented jointly with the KfW Development Bank and in cooperation with the European Commission. It is working to establish the structures required at national level and – in addition to the contributions provided within the framework of financial cooperation – supporting the construction of waste infrastructure in selected areas in four governorates. Based on adapted technical solutions and sustainable financing, model waste-management approaches are being implemented in the governorates; local expertise and skills will be developed. At national level, the programme is helping develop the necessary institutional, strategic and legal frameworks.
For Detailed Information:
https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/22230.html
http://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/319.html
Annex: Sector Experts
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Dr. Ayman Abou-Hadid
Professor at Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University AGRICULTRUE SECTOR
Dr Abou-Hadid is a former Minister of Agriculture, former President of Agricultural Research
Center, Ministry of Agriculture ARC, and former Head of Egyptian Environmental Affair Agency
at Ministry of environment.
He is a distinguished international agricultural expert. He obtained his BSc from Cairo University in 1973 and both his MSc (1978) and his PhD (1984) from Al-Azhar University. The founder of ARC's Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate, he served as its first director from 1996 to 2004. In 2002, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Egypt's Environmental Affairs Agency. In 2011 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture. He is a member of the Egyptian Society for Horticulture as well as the International Society for Horticulture. He has been awarded a number of medals including the Silver Medal of the FAO (1994), World Food Programme (2007), Award of Honour from the Prime Minister of Egypt and the Award of Honour from Cairo University on its Centenary Festival (2008). In June 2010, he was granted the Egyptian State Award for Agricultural Sciences for 2009. He is currently involved in several activities related to Agricultural and rural Development, Agro climatology environmental stresses, remote sensing, Water/plant/environment relations, Crop water requirements, Irrigation of horticultural crops, Protected cultivation, Soilless culture, Vegetable production, Breeding, and Seed production.
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Dr. Anhar Hegazi
Head of the Energy Efficiency Unit at the Information and Decision Support Centre Egyptian Cabinet Think Tank
ENERGY SECTOR
Dr. Anhar Hegazi is the Head of the Energy Efficiency Unit at the Information and Decision Support Centre an affiliate think tank of the Egyptian Cabinet of ministers. She was the former Deputy Executive Secretary at UN-Economic and Social Commission for West Asia. She is specialized in Energy planning and forecast and Renewable Energy development and institutional building.
Her vast experience also includes: Energy conservation and efficiency measures and applications in different economic sectors, Research and assessment studies on the key issues of “Energy for sustainable Development" Project planning and management in different areas of sustainable Development in particular Energy, and water and environment issues.
As the former Director of the Sustainable Development and Productivity Division (SDPD) in UN ESCWA, Dr, Anhar was directing UN ESCWA activities in the areas of water, energy, enterprise development, agriculture and rural development, as well as the related climate change issues.
She is a mechanical power engineer holding a PhD degree in Power Systems. She has over 37 years of experience in different Sectoral Development fields. From 1970 to 1997 she has served with different Egyptian organizations, mainly the National Research Center and the Ministry of Electricity and Energy where her latest post was the R&D Sector Director at the New and Renewable Energy Authority - NREA of Egypt (1994-1997). She also taught at the environmental Research Institute as well as the American University in Cairo.
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Dr. Hussein Abaza
Senior Green Economy Expert CEDARE
LEAD AUTHOR
Dr. Hussein Abaza is currently a senior advisor to the Minister of Environment of Egypt. He is also the founder and Director of Centre for Sustainable Development Solutions. The Centre promotes the transition to "Green Economy", with particular focus on Egypt and the Arab world by providing advice and technical assistance to the public and private sector on measures and policies for transiting to "Green Economy" as a tool for achieving sustainable development. Prior to establishing the Centre, he was the Chief of the Economics and Trade Branch of UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics in 1997. He joined the United Nations Environment Programme in 1982, and functioned in different capacities. Before joining UNEP, Abaza worked as the Financial and Administrative Manager of a United Nations Physical and Urban Planning project in Saudi Arabia (1973-1979), Managing Director of the Centre of Planning and Architecture in Cairo, Egypt (1980), and Manager of the Islamic Investment Company, Central and Northern Region, Saudi Arabia (1981). He received a B.A in Economics from the American University in Cairo (1973), and M.Phil. in Urban Housing planning from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom (1981) and a PhD from Walsebidge University, USA.
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Dr. Khaled AbuZeid
Regional Water Manager at the Centre for
Environment & Development for the Arab Region &
Europe (CEDARE)
WATER SECTOR
Prof. Khaled AbuZeid carries a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Water Resources Management) from Colorado State University, USA. He is a registered Professional Engineer in California, USA, and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
He has 25 years of experience and held positions include being Regional Water Manager at the Centre for Environment & Development for the Arab Region & Europe (CEDARE), Regional Coordinator for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Water Sector in North Africa, Officer in Charge of the North Africa Technical Secretariat of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), Founding Member, elected Governing Board Member and Director of Technical Programs at the Arab Water Council, Founder and elected Secretary General of the Egyptian Water Partnership, member of the “Sanitation & Water for All” Steering Committee, the European Union Water Initiative Mediterranean Component support team, member of the Arab League’s Council of Water Ministers Advisory Committee, and the Arab Water Strategy Advisory Team, the Mediterranean Water Strategy Experts’ Group, member of the Arab Shared Water Resources Convention Consultative Group, team leader of the Nile Basin Decision Support System conceptual design.
He developed Water Resources Strategic Policy Options for Egypt in 2050, and participated in the 2030 San Diego Water Resources Plan and the Regional Strategy for the Utilization of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer. His other experience includes non-renewable groundwater sustainability, water indicators, Green & Blue Water assessment, and water-related environmental impact.
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