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Climate Ambassadors Program Concludes in Egypt as Part of Capacity Building Program for Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan

In an atmosphere of optimism, hope and ambition that tomorrow will be better... and under the patronage of H. E. Prof. Dr. Hani Sewilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, the project to enhance adaptation to climate change in the Nile River Delta and the northern coast concluded the final workshop of the Climate Ambassadors Program, with the participation of 40 participants from cadres working in the state's executive and research agencies concerned with the field of integrated management of coastal areas on the Mediterranean. The workshop witnessed the presence of Mr. Prof. Dr. Sherif Mohammadi - Head of the National Water Research Center, Mr. Sylvain Merlin, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Egypt, Mr. Dr. Mohamed Ahmed, Executive Director of the Project to Strengthen Adaptation to Climate Change in the North Coast and the Delta Region, and the project work team. Dr. Yousry Al-Koumi, strategic planning expert, and Dr. Taher Othman, responsible for the integrated management plan, also honored the project by inviting Dr. Nagy El-Shahawy, former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information and Media Lecturer at the Faculty of Media and Communication Technology, Suez University, and Dr. Harby Ezz El-Din, human development expert. The Climate Ambassadors Program aims to prepare and train ambassadors for the project to work on transferring the idea and principles of integrated coastal zone management to their executive agencies, in a way that achieves sustainability in efforts to adapt to climate change in the coastal zone on the Mediterranean under the umbrella of integrated management principles. The program included a set of topics. Training in the field of communication, media and unifying visions, dedicated to building influential leadership figures capable of dealing with challenges to activate the principles of participation and integration with partner agencies to achieve the goals of the integrated management plan for coastal zones. The program continued for nearly a year, from July 2023 until March 2024, with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (Coast Protection Authority - Mechanics and Electricity Authority - Research Institutes for Water Resources, Groundwater, Drainage, Hydraulics and Climate Change), the Ministries of (Environment - Transport -Electricity), and the governorates. (Beheira - Alexandria - Matrouh - North Sinai - Port Said), the Alexandria Port Authority, the Urban Communities Authority, the National Remote Sensing Authority, the General Authority for Urban Planning, Cairo University, the New Alamein City Authority, the New Rosetta City Authority, and the Department of Environmental Affairs in Damietta Governorate. Climate Ambassadors is one of the activities of the capacity building program for the integrated management of coastal zones plan, the second component of the project to enhance adaptation to climate change in the Nile River Delta and the northern coast. The project aims for the plan to take into account various activities in the coastal region, based on the latest scientific knowledge, modeling tools, and accurate data to support decision makers. It is worth noting that the project Enhancing Adaptation to the Effects of Climate Change on the Northern Coasts and the Nile River Delta, through the first component, implemented protection works for low-lying areas with a total length of about 69 km in five coastal governorates : (Port Said - Damietta - Dakahlia - Kafr El-Sheikh - Lake), using low-cost techniques and environmentally friendly materials from the environment surrounding the project area in protection work