Ambassador Eichhorst's Speech on World Water Day

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Ambassador Eichhorst's Speech on World Water Day

18.03.2026 Press and information team of the Delegation to EGYPT

© EUDEL 2026

Your Excellency Professor Dr Hani Sewilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation,
Your Excellency Dr. Sherif Farouk, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade
Your Excellency Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Environment
Your Excellency Eng. Khaled Hashem, Minister of Industry,
Your Excellency Major General Engineer Salah Soliman, Minister of state for Military Production,
Your Excellency Dr Sahar El Sonbaty, Chairperson of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood,
Ms Angy Elyamany, Executive Director of the Rural and Environmental Industries Support Fund,
Ms Yasmina El Abd, EU Goodwill Ambassador,
Dr Hala Helmy El Said , Economic Advisor to the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ramadan Kareem.

It is an honour for the European Union ambassador to Egypt to co-host this World Water Day 2026 event together with the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation.

This year's theme is both simple and powerful: "Water and Gender - Where Water Flows, Equality Grows."

In Egypt, this theme carries a special meaning. In a country where the Nile has shaped life, memory, and civilisation itself, water is never only a resource. It is also dignity, continuity, and shared destiny. And that is why today's theme matters so much.

Because when water is unsafe, unreliable, distant, or unaffordable, women and girls often carry the heaviest burden. They lose time. They lose opportunities. They lose safety, health, and income. They absorb the hidden costs of water stress in households, in farms, in communities, and in daily life. But the reverse is equally true.

When water services improve, when institutions become more inclusive, and when women participate fully in decision-making, communities become healthier, more resilient, and more prosperous. So today is not only about adressing inequality. It is about recognising a solution.

Women are not only affected by water insecurity. Women are part of the answer, as engineers, farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, public officials, and community leaders.

And that is the point I would like to underline today:
gender equality in water is not an "add-on"; it is part of better policy, better governance, better investment, and better outcomes.

This is especially important in Egypt, where water security is directly linked to climate resilience, food security, social stability, and economic opportunity.

Egypt is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. Every decision about water today carries consequences well beyond the sector itself. It affects agriculture, jobs, health, local development, and the resilience of communities to climate shocks.

That is why the European Union sees water not as a narrow technical issue, but as a strategic one. And that is why water remains a major pillar of cooperation between the European Union and Egypt.

Since 2007, the European Union has contributed around EUR 600 million in grants to Egypt's water sector, leveraging nearly EUR 3.5 billion in investment. Together, these efforts have benefited around 25 million people, expanded nearly 11,000 kilometres of water networks, and supported around 200 water and wastewater treatment plants.

These are important numbers. But the real story behind them is not only scale. It is partnership that delivers.

Through long-term cooperation with Egypt, the European Union has supported not only infrastructure, but also reform, planning, institutional strengthening, and resilience. We have worked with national institutions, public utilities, international financial institutions, and EU Member States, and communities to support a water sector that is more sustainable, more efficient, and more capable of meeting future pressures. And the next phase of this partnership must go further in one important direction: it must be more gender-responsive by design.

Because gender equality in water is not only a social issue.
It is also a governance issue. An investment issue. And an implementation issue.

If women are missing where decisions are made, then priorities risk being incomplete.

If women's needs, time burdens, safety concerns, and care responsibilities are not reflected in project design, then investments will be less effective.

If women are underrepresented in water institutions, utilities, local governance, and entrepreneurship, then the sector loses talent, legitimacy, and practical insight.

And if we want systems that are more trusted by the communities they serve, then women must have a stronger voice in how those systems are planned, financed, governed, and monitored.

In short: better gender inclusion means better water governance.

This is where I believe we can and can go further together.

First, we continue promoting stronger women's leadership in water governance ; at national level, at local level, and inside the institutions that shape water policy and services.

That means not only participation, but meaningful participation. Not only consultation, but influence. Not only visibility, but leadership.

Second, make future water investments more gender-responsive from the start.

That means looking carefully at how needs are identified, how communities are consulted, how service outcomes are measured, and how financing models and private sector engagement are structured.

Because if we want sustainable water investments, then we must design them in ways that reflect the realities of the people they are meant to serve women and men, girls and boys, urban and rural communities alike.

This is not a matter of symbolism. It is a matter of effectiveness.

Gender-responsive investment is better investment.

This is why today's event matters.

Because it brings together institutions, public leadership, community voices, and practical experience. Because it connects policy with reality.

And because it reminds us that inclusion is not abstract. It must be visible in programmes, in budgets, in institutions, and in livelihoods.

It is why I warmly welcome the launch of the Ward El Kheir initiative.

This initiative reflects exactly the kind of practical approach we need. It turns an environmental challenge into an economic opportunity. It connects women's empowerment with water stewardship. And it shows that green transition, social inclusion, and local livelihoods can reinforce one another rather than compete with one another.

That is the kind of model worth supporting. A model that is local, practical, and forward-looking.
A model that links environment with dignity. A model that creates both cleaner waterways and stronger communities. An Egyptian model, the European Union is proud to support this direction.

Under the EU-Egypt Water Partnership, and in the broader spirit of the EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, we want to continue working with Egypt not only to improve water security, but also to ensure that progress is inclusive, fair, and future-oriented.

We want a partnership that continues to deliver major infrastructure, yes, but also better governance, stronger institutions, more resilient communities, and broader opportunity.

We want to work with Egypt to strengthen women's leadership in water governance.
We want to support more gender-responsive approaches in future investment.
And we want to continue linking water security to wider resilience, from climate adaptation to social cohesion and economic opportunity.

This is the direction in which the European Union stands ready to continue contributing.

Let me conclude with one final thought. Where water flows, equality truly grows.

Thank you.