Resilience on the Nile: Building a Community of Practice at Cairo Water Week

Resilient water for a resilient future: a community of practice for innovative adaptation 

In the face of climate change and rapid urbanisation, countries are facing serious strategic choices and trade-offs in how they build adaptation and resilience.  Cairo Water Week 2023 focussed Action on Water Adaptation for Sustainability. 

With a focus on the African continent, the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) brought together policy makers and specialists from organisations and initiatives such as Arup, Deltares, IWMI and the Water Tracker to share their experience on building water resilience. The session on ‘Resilient water for a resilient future: a community of practice for innovative adaptation’ provided an opportunity to understand the role that water plays in climate action which is critical in accelerating progress and avoiding the waste of financial and human resources through maladaptation. 

There was a particular emphasis on the use of open-source data, conducting climate risk assessments, and tools for decision-making under uncertainty. New and emerging tools and approaches were showcased including the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning; the City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA); and Action on the Ground. 

Mr. Walid Hakiki, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt opened the session and provides links to the work of the African Ministers’ Council on Water and how the Water Adaptation and Resilience (AWARe) initiative captures the importance of water both a key climate change problem and a potential solution. 

The conundrum of planning for uncertainty and resilience were examined by Dr. John Matthews, AGWA.  He went on to explain the role of climate risk assessments and the importance of building effective cross-ministerial programs in helping shape climate resilience pathways. 

Arjen Haag, Deltares, demonstrated the value of satellite and earth observation data in water resource planning and understanding how water shapes the land, especially around deltas.   

Martin Shouler, Arup, highlighted the power of collaboration in understanding water resilience challenges and explained how work with the Resilient Water Accelerator in Lagos using CWRA is helping to bring public and private investors together to build a more resilient Lagos.  

The session emphasized the need find a ‘Just Transition’ pathway to a climate-friendly future - a low-carbon transition that is fair, inclusive and creates decent work opportunities — leaving no one behind. 

Thank you to expert contributors including Mr. Walid Hakiki, Head of Planning Sector, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt, Dr. John Matthews, AGWA, Martin Shouler, Arup, Dr. Sandra Ruckhstuhl, IWMI, Arjen Haag, Deltares 

Moderator, Simon Thuo 

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