A signature ceremony was held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation to launch the start of a new project funded by AICS. The new project, “ Tackling Climate Change through Sustainable Livestock Management” (TCCSLM), is a grant of 4 million Euros for 36 months to support producers in adapting and promoting climate-smart livestock actions. The signing ceremony started with a welcome speech from His Excellency Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, who expressed his happiness about the launch of the new project that fully aligns with Egypt`s vision, the UN SDGs and the FAO objectives. He explained that Egypt is prioritizing food and energy security.
Her Excellency Dr Rania Elmashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, explained that this project is a good example of Egypt’s Country Platform for the Nexus of Water, Food and Energy (NWFE) Program- which aims to accelerate the national climate agenda. She elaborated that this platform provides opportunities for mobilizing climate finance and private investments to support Egypt’s green transition, reflecting the interlinkages and complementarity between climate action and development efforts. In her speech, she thanked the Italian government for its continuous support to the Egyptian people in many funded programs and projects that work on sustainability and better life opportunities for the Egyptian people.
Furthermore, Dr Abdul Hakim Elwaer, Vice Regional director of FAO and regional representative of the Near East and North Africa, highlighted that the FAO will implement the project in Beheira and Asiut with the support of the Italian governmental institution “Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell`Abruzzo and Molise”, which aims to promote veterinary public health objectives through scientific research in the fields of animal health and food safety.
In the end, Dr Martino Melli, Head of AICS Cairo, highlighted that the Italian Government, together with MALR and FAO, have started this project to promote climate-smart livestock production practices, promote Antimicrobial Emergence (AMR) awareness and surveillance programs as well as enhancing animal health delivery and disease control measures. He added that AICS is contributing through its funded projects and programs to fight the climate change crisis through projects that support the agricultural system and food security. After his speech, the signature ceremony occurred between Farouk and Elwaer, which Elmashat and Melli witnessed.
