Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate meetings in Cairo on Tuesday with UN Special Envoy on Water Retno Marsudi and European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti to discuss water security, preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference and expanded development financing in Egypt.
Abdelatty met Marsudi on the sidelines of the ninth Cairo Water Week, discussing ways to strengthen cooperation between Egypt and the United Nations on water management and sustainable development.
He said Egypt sought to continue coordinating with the United Nations to help ensure the success of the 2026 UN Water Conference and deliver practical outcomes that advance the global water agenda through 2030 and beyond.
Abdelatty outlined Egypt’s water-scarcity challenges and measures to address them, including water conservation, expanded treatment and reuse, and irrigation modernisation. He also called for stronger international cooperation, technology transfer and capacity building.
The meeting also addressed transboundary rivers, particularly the Nile. Abdelatty stressed Egypt’s support for cooperation among riparian states and the equitable sharing of benefits.
He reiterated Cairo’s rejection of unilateral measures that it says could affect the rights and interests of downstream states, calling for adherence to international law, including prior notification and the principle of avoiding harm.
In a separate meeting, Abdelatty received EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti to discuss expanding the bank’s portfolio in Egypt and increasing the number and scope of its projects.
Abdelatty said cooperation between Egypt and the EIB dated back to 1979 and had covered 141 projects in the public and private sectors.
The talks also addressed the economic impact of regional military escalation, with Abdelatty reiterating the government’s commitment to economic and structural reforms aimed at improving the investment climate and strengthening economic resilience.
The two sides discussed financing for projects in energy, health, transport, water and food security, as well as support for the private sector and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Abdelatty highlighted an EIB-funded food security project, saying it would help strengthen Egypt’s ability to cope with disruptions to global supply chains.
Vigliotti reviewed EIB-backed projects in Egypt, including those involving infrastructure, environmental protection and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. She also expressed interest in continuing to expand cooperation with Egypt.