From left to right.: Fatma Soliman (DAAD Kairo), Lilly v. Stackelberg (CCT), Isabell Mering (DAAD Kairo), Staatssekretärin Jennifer Lee Morgan, Botschafter Frank Hartmann, Amira Anwar (CCT), Philippe Maupai (Dt. Botschaft Kairo), Uwe Gehlen (Dt. Botschaft Kairo), Amr Seleem (CCT)

In occasion of the first visit to Egypt of State Secretary Jennifer Lee Morgan, Special Envoy for International Climate Action at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the DAAD Regional Office Cairo hosted the 81st round of the “Cairo Climate Talks” (CCT) entitled “Adapting to Climate Change: Sustainable Agriculture in Egypt” on the 20th of April 2022.

After a joint networking Iftar, a panel discussion with experts from the private sector, science, development cooperation and civil society offered interesting insights on potential solutions on how to develop a promising sustainable agricultural sector in Egypt. The talk and discussion between the CEO of the SEKEM initiative Helmy Abouleish, Myriam Fernando from GIZ (coordinator of the project Agriculture Innovation), Hussein Abou Bakr, founder and CEO of Mozare3, a start-up for the support of small farmers, Dr Shaimaa Hatab, Associate Professor at  Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, and the audience, did not only cover innovative technologies for an efficient land and water usage and the still improvable income conditions of especially small farmers, but it also targeted the pressing issues of food security, traditional vs. organic agriculture and the necessity of measures and activities in order to enhance civil society’s awareness regarding  climate change and sustainable solutions in agriculture. Higher Education Institutions together with decision-makers and the civil society also play a pivotal role in this issue in order to make a change and to start a paradigm shift on all levels: besides innovative technologies, a behavioural change of every single individual will be necessary in order to develop future-oriented solutions.

The CCT Network once again has proved to be a successful platform for exchange, bringing together governmental representatives, science, the private sector, NGOs and civil society by examining current questions regarding environmental and climate preservation. The 81st CCT event on sustainable agriculture was organised in cooperation with the DAAD Regional Office Cairo under the umbrella of the DAAD-project COSIMENA (Clusters of Scientific Innovation in the Middle East and North Africa) and its thematic Agriculture Cluster.

In preparation of the World Climate Conference COP 27 in November in Sharm El-Sheikh, State Secretary Jennifer Morgan was able to get an impression of the current situation in the field of agriculture in Egypt and the outstanding commitment of the participating local and international organisations which contribute to make a change in the agricultural sector. The DAAD Regional Office Cairo will organise further activities with local partners and German universities, particularly in the framework of the COSIMENA project.