conference
Egyptian President receives heads of Delegations participating in Cairo Water Conference
Water Scarcity is a Serious Issue for a third of the Muslim World The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, stressed that water security has become a prerequisite for achieving sustainability and for ensuring health and prosperity of the OIC Member States. He also pointed out that achieving growth in almost every economic sector depends on the availability of water resources. The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, had the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen during his visit to Cairo to participate in the water conference. The Egyptian President welcomed the heads of delegations participating in the “Cairo Water Week” organized this year under the theme “Responding to water scarcity”. He reaffirmed Egypt’s keenness to organize and host this event annually in order to enhance water awareness, encourage innovation to meet the challenges of water, identify global initiatives and efforts exerted to address those challenges and consider ways to maximize cooperation mechanisms in the water sector. For his part, the OIC Secretary General thanked the Arab Republic of Egypt, commending the wise leadership of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his vision for the advancement of Egyptian economy. He further commended Egypt’s outstanding efforts to achieve the goals and
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objectives of the OIC. Al-Othaimeen then expressed gratitude to the Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister, His Excellency Mohamed Abdel Aty and his team for the excellent organization of the second meeting of the OIC Water Council and for the hospitality extended to the delegations of the participating states. Addressing the second meeting of the OIC Water Council, held in Cairo on 22 October 2019, , the Secretary-General said that water scarcity is a source of great concern to one third of the organization’s member states, which are located in dry or semidry areas. Al-Othaimeen cautioned that the growing population and the effects of climate change on water provision have become one of the underlying causes of conflict and a growing threats to people, livelihoods and businesses throughout the world. The Secretary-General said that the OIC General Secretariat attaches high priority to enhancing cooperation in order to help OIC Member States find solutions to waterrelated challenges. Al-Othaimeen called upon Member States with technological and financial capabilities to move forward to assist other disadvantaged Member States in this field, taking into account the magnitude of water-related challenges. He urged all stakeholders, including international organizations, to join hands to implement the recommendations
of the second meeting of the Water Council. It is worth mentioning that the SecretaryGeneral expressed his thanks to the Arab Republic of Egypt, praising the “wise leadership of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his vision for the advancement of the Egyptian economy”. He also appreciated the outstanding efforts exerted by Egypt to achieve OIC goals and objectives. Furthermore, he thanked the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aty, and his team for the excellent organization of the second meeting of the OIC Water Council and the generous hospitality extended to the delegations of the participating States. He urged all members of the OIC Water Council to organize similar activities to raise awareness and promote cooperation among Islamic countries. The Secretary-General said that the increasing population of the world, the dwindling water resources, the increasing pollution of water resources, in addition to the effects of global warming are all factors that have made reliable access to water as one of the biggest problems facing humanity in the twenty-first century. It is noted that water-related issues are extremely important for OIC Member States. Water scarcity is a major concern in one third of the Organization’s member states, which are located in dry or semi-arid regions.
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