Egypt’s Minister of Local Development, Manal Awad, made compelling opening remarks during a ministerial roundtable at the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo, calling for a strengthened approach to multilevel governance as a key strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular focus on urban development and climate resilience.
During her remarks, Minister Awad emphasized the necessity of strong collaboration between national and local governments to meet Egypt’s sustainable development objectives and the broader SDGs.
Awad pointed to Egypt’s decentralized governance structure as a cornerstone of the country’s approach to sustainable development, which focuses on integrating local needs and capacities into national policy frameworks.
The Minister also highlighted Egypt’s efforts to strengthen partnerships with both international financial institutions and the private sector to diversify financial resources, particularly for underdeveloped regions in Upper Egypt. Awad also touched on the importance of Egypt’s broader strategy to align its urban development goals with the SDGs.
The Ministerial Roundtable at WUF12 will to lay the groundwork for future international collaboration in urban climate action, with the aim of integrating its outcomes of the Roundtable will inform COP29 discussions and contribute to shaping global climate policy and urban governance frameworks in the coming years.
The Roundtable, a high-level event that gathers ministers and senior representatives from national governments and regional political bodies, reflects on advancing the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The timing of the Roundtable, just months ahead of COP29 and the UN Summit of the Future in 2024, underscores the urgency of addressing climate change and urban challenges in the context of global development.
