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Dr. Souilem Meets with the Executive Director of the Islamic Network for Water Resources Development and Management, Affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Preparation is underway to start implementing a project funded by a grant from the Islamic Network to the Ministry, financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) with a value of €300,000. The project aims to establish 50 mountain lakes to protect against floods and harvest rainwater in Wadi Feiran, South Sinai. Dr. Souilem commented: The importance of addressing water challenges by adopting simple, low-cost technologies suitable for farmers. "I look forward to starting the Wadi Feiran project as soon as possible to serve our people in Sinai, and to consider subsequent phases by establishing model farms powered by solar energy to cultivate economically valuable plants." The significance of applying the "Water-Food-Energy Nexus" concept in achieving sustainable development goals and addressing water and food challenges faced by many countries around the world. The possibility of cooperation between Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco under the umbrella of the AWARe initiative to implement a pioneering desalination project using solar energy for intensive food production. Interest in collaborating with the Islamic Network to provide technical support to the Ministry to establish a Nexus unit and train ministry staff and those from Arab countries in this field. Dr. Hani Souilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, received Dr. Marwan Al-Raqad, Executive Director of the Islamic Network for Water Resources Development and Management, affiliated with the OIC, to explore ways to enhance cooperation between the Ministry and the organization in the field of water management. Dr. Souilem expressed his welcome to Dr. Al-Raqad's visit and his desire to strengthen cooperation between the Ministry and the organization, looking forward to more fruitful collaboration in the water sector. For his part, Dr. Al-Raqad expressed his happiness in meeting the Minister, confirming the organization's commitment to cooperating with the Ministry in projects aimed at improving the efficiency of water resource use. During the meeting, they reviewed the progress in preparing for the start of a project funded by a grant from the Islamic Network to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) with a value of €300,000. The project focuses on rainwater harvesting in Wadi Feiran in South Sinai and includes the construction of 50 mountain lakes to protect against floods and provide a fresh water source for Bedouin communities. Dr. Souilem welcomed the Islamic Network's field visit to the project site to familiarize themselves with the flood protection projects already implemented in South Sinai, which will be integrated with the proposed project by the organization. He expressed his eagerness to start the project soon to serve the people of Sinai, while also looking into securing additional funding from the Islamic Network for subsequent project phases, such as establishing model farms powered by solar energy to cultivate high-value economic plants, ensuring project sustainability. Dr. Souilem emphasized the importance of applying the "Water-Food-Energy Nexus" concept in achieving sustainable development goals, especially Goal 6 concerning water. This will contribute to addressing water and food challenges faced by many countries, focusing on scientific research to make water desalination for food production economically viable. The aim is to achieve the desired integration between the three elements (sun, sand, and saline water), particularly in the Arab region and Africa. He also pointed to the possibility of cooperation between Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco under the umbrella of the AWARe initiative to implement a pioneering desalination project using solar energy. This would use desalinated water for intensive food production as a key application of the "Water-Food-Energy Nexus" concept, with the potential to use highly saline water resulting from the desalination process for cultivating saltwater shrimp (Artemia). Dr. Souilem expressed his interest in the Islamic Network providing technical support to the Ministry to establish a Nexus unit and conduct training courses for ministry staff and other Arab countries in this field. The meeting also reviewed the recommendations from the two workshops held in collaboration between the Ministry and the Islamic Network. The first workshop, titled "Training Needs Assessment," aimed to gather officials from various sectors of the Ministry to identify training needs and priorities. The second workshop focused on applying the "Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem Nexus" (WEFE), bringing together officials from the Ministry and other specialized entities in Egypt to introduce this concept. Dr. Souilem expressed his eagerness to fully benefit from the workshop outcomes and support joint cooperation between the Ministry and the Islamic Network through the "WEFE Nexus Forum Project" launched by the Islamic Network. Dr. Souilem also welcomed the upcoming training course funded by the Islamic Network, which will include technical staff from Arab and Islamic countries that are members of the Islamic Network. The course will be held at the Regional Training Center for Water Resources and Irrigation in 6th of October City, focusing on either "Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment" or "Water Treatment and Desalination Technologies."