Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam on Sunday, August 2, 2026, inaugurated a workshop to present the outcome of the "Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation on the North Coast and Nile Delta" project and the outcome of an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) plan for the entire North Coast.
The workshop is organized by the Irrigation Ministry in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In his opening remarks, Sewilam praised the efforts of the UNDP, national partners, and technical teams from the Shore Protection Authority and the ministry, saying their work had produced valuable scientific and technical outputs marking a key milestone in Egypt's drive to strengthen climate adaptation along its northern coastline.
He said the project ushers in a new phase of integrated coastal planning and management aimed at enhancing the resilience of Egypt's coasts to climate change while safeguarding national resources for future generations. "We now have a real opportunity to develop our coasts correctly from the outset, based on science, data and risk maps," Sewilam said, noting that Egypt has, for the first time, comprehensive risk maps covering its entire Mediterranean coastline using advanced scientific models.
The maps demonstrate the coastline is an interconnected system and that interventions in one area can affect locations several kilometers away, he said, stressing all coastal development projects—including roads, ports, cities, hospitals and investment projects—must incorporate climate adaptation considerations from the planning stage.
Sewilam described the ICZM plan as a national framework rather than a ministry-specific document, stressing that effective coastal management requires close coordination among ministries responsible for investment, housing, transport, tourism, environment, agriculture, industry and local development, as well as coastal governorates.
He said coastal management begins with urban planning, site selection, early warning systems and rapid response, before extending to shoreline protection, adding that Egypt seeks to strengthen institutional cooperation and benefit from international expertise in the field.
The minister said mathematical models confirmed that shoreline protection and maintenance projects carried out by the Shore Protection Authority had safeguarded thousands of feddans in the Nile Delta from inundation caused by rising sea levels, describing such investments as essential to protecting lives, assets and future development.
He added that, alongside coastal erosion and flooding, saltwater intrusion into groundwater poses another major challenge, threatening agricultural land, infrastructure and existing investments, underscoring the State's responsibility to protect both current and future development.
For her part, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt Chitose Noguchi said completing the ICZM plan marked an important milestone that is expected to improve the lives and livelihoods of communities along Egypt's northern coast. She said implementation is only beginning and reaffirmed the UNDP's commitment to supporting the Egyptian government in executing the plan, protecting coastal communities and strengthening the resilience of people and ecosystems to sea-level rise and climate change.