Biography:

Dr. Hussein El-Atfy, Civil Engineer and holder of PhD in Water Resources Management, is Former Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt (2011), Honorary Vice-President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), former Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Committee for Irrigation and Drainage (ENCID) for 15 years, and presently Member of Executive Council and Secretary-General of the Arab Water Council (AWC). On the national scale, Dr. Hussein El-Atfy contributed to the development and implementation of the Egyptian National Water Resources Plan up to year 2017, as well as the 2050 long-term plan based on the so-called "Facing the Challenge" strategy that follows an integrated water resources approach. On the Arab scale in collaboration with the League of Arab States, he assisted in formulating the 2010?2030 Strategy for Arab Water Security that was approved in 2011 during his mandate as Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation and endorsed in 2012 by the Council of Arab Water Ministers. On the regional and international scales, Dr. El-Atfy has successfully contributed to the establishment of several non-governmental regional organizations including the Egyptian Water Partnership, Egyptian Young Professional Forum, the Arab Water Council, the Nile Basin Initiative and the African Ministers Council on Water. Throughout his professional career, Dr. El-Atfy was awarded a number of Recognition Awards and prizes from national and international organizations for his distinguished contributions in the water sector.

Abstract:

Presentation Title: Regional Cooperation and Coordination towards Water and Food Security in the Arab Region Abstract: The challenges facing food security in the extremely arid Arab region are substantial and interrelated, hence need to be addressed through urgent decisive and integrated measures. Challenges are represented mainly in the constantly growing population living below the poverty line of water, the transboundary water conflicts and the uncertainty of climate change, indicating that the region will have to import more food than it does at present. Since the challenges are common and not limited to one Arab country, there is need for collective work and regional cooperation to find appropriate tools and mechanisms for implementing the set strategies. In 2011, the Arab Water Ministerial Council endorsed an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) initiative by virtue of which the ?Arab Water Security Strategy? was formulated providing the strategic implementation framework of five projects in the Arab countries, one of which is increasing water use efficiency. Under the pressure of water scarcity and its serious impact on food security, there is no choice other than adopting workable innovative solutions to ensure efficient water use. The role of public?private partnerships, donors, international development agencies, research institutions, women and youth associations have instrumental role in reaching this target. The water?food?energy nexus is addressed by IWRM initiative through a project aiming at achieving the principal target of raising the water use efficiency in the Arab countries by 15%?20% in year 2020 to meet the global sustainable development goals. The Arab Water Council (AWC) was the responsibility of this target in cooperation with a number of regional organizations. Meanwhile, AWC will keep playing the role of the Regional Coordinator for several other regional initiatives, the most recent of which is the Climate Risk Nexus (CRN) Initiative with League of Arab States (LAS) for addressing food security, water scarcity and social vulnerability to build resilience in the Arab region.