Cairo Water Week Preview: Water at the Heart of Climate Action

The Permanent Secretariat of Cairo Water Week (CWW) released the first announcement of CWW in March, under the main theme “Water at the Heart of Climate Action”. 

CWW will take place from 16-19 October and in many ways, provides a preparatory platform for COP 27 of UNFCCC, which will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh from 7-17 November 2022.

In CWW’s first announcement, the Permanent Secretariat underlines the increase in water-related hazards such as floods, droughts and landslides associated with climate change. In addition, it points to the increasing unpredictability of water supplies, which can lead to increased water stress and a decline in water quality.

Following initiatives at COP 26 to integrate water and climate-related data, the Secretariat argues for mutual integration of water and climate policies at regional and national levels.

Furthermore, the government of Egypt has decided to integrate Cairo Water Week within the preparatory framework for the mid-term review of the UN Water Decade Conference which is to take place in New York in March 2023.

CWW is considered as a milestone on the way to New York, and there are plans for a full day featuring 25 High Level panellists who will focus on Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) as well as a host of water related SDGs.

The Secretariat has issued an open call to submit session proposals for all potential convenors of events, including high-level meetings. Separately, a call for abstracts has been issued as a preparatory process for the scientific component of COP 27. The deadline for submitting the abstracts on the topic of water and climate change is the 15th of April 2022.

A Scientific Committee is in place to review and select the best abstracts, and if successful, candidates will obtain notification by the 30th of June. It intends full papers to be published by the National Water Research Centre Magazine and Taylor & Francis.

Youth are actively encouraged to engage with this process and to use the opportunity to engage with experts. CWW will further feature a call for competition amongst schools for related innovations, and the private sector is actively encouraged to attend and highlight solutions.