Egypt

انه عالم صغير

الاهرام ٢٥ ديسمير ٢٠٢١
 بقلم عزة رضوان صدقي

نحن كبشر نؤثر على بعضنا البعض بدرجة أكبر بكثير مما ندرك، سواء كان ذلك بسبب وباء أو اضطراب سياسي أو تداعيات تغيُّر المناخ أو أزمات اقتصادية فإن العواقب تترك بصماتها علينا في جميع أنحاء العالم 

يبدو أن عالمنا أصغر بكثير مما كنا نتخيل، وما يؤثر على بلد ما في أحد أطراف العالم يؤثر على بلاد أخرى في الطرف الآخر البعيد. المثل المؤيد لهذه الفكرة هو كيف انتشر وباء كوفيد بسرعة من بلد إلى آخر. ثم الآن يظهر متحور أوميكرون في أنحاء العالم على الرغم من حظر السفر وإغلاق الحدود وتكثيف اللقاحات والعديد من الإجراءات الاحترازية

لهزيمة الوباء يجب أن يُحصَّن الجميع ضده لأننا عرضة له بشكل متساوٍ. التحدي إذن هو إتاحة اللقاح ليس فقط للبلدان المتقدمة بل للبلاد الأقل نموًا أيضا. السرعة التي ينتقل بها الوباء من منطقة إلى أخرى هي دليل على أن لا أحد في مأمن ما لم يكن الجميع آمنين

حديثنا اليوم ليس عن وباء كوفيد في حد ذاته لكن عن اتساع عالمنا والطريقة التي يتردد بها صدى الأحداث من منطقة إلى أخرى على بعد آلاف الأميال. الأدلة تتواجد حولنا. فمثلا من المؤكد أن الاحتباس الحراري سوف يأخذ منعطفًا يزداد سوءًا مع الوقت إلا أن المسببين الأوائل للاحتباس الحراري ليسوا هم الذين سيعانون منه بل على العكس تمامًا.  تحذير رئيس الوزراء البريطاني بوريس جونسون عن المجتمعات الساحلية مؤلم لكنه واقعي: "سوف نقول وداعا لمدن بأكملها، ميامي والإسكندرية وشنغهاي ستغرق جميعها تحت الماء". ومع ذلك فإن الإسكندرية ليست مصدرًا رئيسيًا لانبعاث الكربون ولكنها ستعاني من الإجراءات التي يرتكبها الآخرون في أماكن بعيدة كل البعد مما يدل على أننا جميعًا في هذا معًا

مع الاحتباس الحراري قد لا تستطيع بعض المحاصيل تحمُّل الحرارة التي ستسبب نقصًا كارثيًا في الغذاء. عندئذ من المرجح أن تنخفض إنتاجية المحاصيل الغذائية الرئيسية مثل الذرة والقمح. كما أن حرائق الغابات والظروف المناخية الجافة في البلدان المنتجة لهذه المحاصيل سوف تؤدي إلى ارتفاع أسعار القمح مثلا إلى مستويات قياسية مؤثرا على مستوردي القمح مثل مصر وتركيا وإندونيسيا الذين سيتضررون بشدة

وفقًا لمنظمة الأمم المتحدة للأغذية والزراعة (الفاو) ارتفعت أسعار الغذاء العالمية بنسبة ٣٣ في المائة تقريبًا في عام ٢٠٢١.  فمع الوباء وزيادة الانبعاث الحراري والتلوث سيعاني المنتج الغذائي من آثار خطيرة تُظلم فيها البلاد المحتاجة حيث سترتفع أسعار الطاقة والسلع بحدة. إذن نحن مطالبون جميعًا بالعمل معًا لدعم التكيُّف والتخفيف من تغيُّر المناخ ليس في بلادنا فقط ولكن في جميع أنحاء العالم

أثار تعطيل الملاحة في قناة السويس عند جنوح السفينة إيفرجيفن في أبريل الماضية تسبب في تداعيات عالمية. تعطلت سلسلة التوريد بالفعل وكشف تحليل شركة التأمين الألمانية أليانز أن تعطيل الملاحة في القناة كلف التجارة العالمية ما بين ٦ مليارات دولار إلى ١٠ مليارات دولار في هذه المدة

تنتشر معظم اّفات النباتات عن طريق السفر والتجارة العالمية. عندما تنتقل البضائع والسلع عبر الحاويات البحرية وأنماط الانتقال الأخرى من منطقة إلى أخرى، فإنها تنقل أيضًا آلاف الآفات أحيانًا إلى مناطق لا ينبغي تواجدها فيها. فيروس غرب النيل الذي تواجد أولاً في أوغندا انتقل إلى أمريكا الشمالية وأوروبا والشرق الأوسط عبر الحاويات. ثم تم إدخال خنفساء الخشب التي يعود أصلها إلى الصين وجمهورية كوريا إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وكندا مع الصناديق والكراتين الخشبية الموبوءة. تواجد الآفات هو نتيجة خطيرة للتجارة العالمية، وقد تسبب في انقراض النباتات المحلية وتتنافس مع المخلوقات المحلية على الغذاء وتدمر البيئة وفي بعض الحالات تشكل خطرًا على البشر. وبفضل الحركه العالمية المتزايدة لعالمنا تم اكتشاف المزيد من الحشرات والحيوانات في الأماكن التي لا تنتمي إليها

وجه إيجابي لانكماش العالم نجده عبر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي التي تكشف لنا يوميا عن الثقافات والأنماط المعيشية الأخرى. تواصلنا ببعضنا البعض عن طريق وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي يثرينا جميعا ويربط بعضنا ببعض حتى وإن كنا لا ندرك مقدار الذي نحصل عليه عبر هذه وسائل لأننا نعتبرها أمرًا مفروغًا منه في عصرنا الحالي

كل شيء على الأرض متصل. البشر والمخلوقات الأخرى والطبيعة مترابطة، لأنه بالفعل عالمنا عالم صغير. مقولة الدالاي لاما تعزِّز هذه الفكرة: لأننا جميعًا نشارك في كوكب الأرض فعلينا أن نتعلم كيف نعيش في وئام وسلام مع بعضنا البعض ومع الطبيعة. هذا ليس مجرد حلم بل ضرورة

 

Lights and joy all around: It's Christmas time in Shubra

(Brilliant!) Ahram Online, by Zeinab El-Gundy , Friday 24 Dec 2021 (Link: Lights and joy all around: It's Christmas time in Shubra)

You know it's that time of the year when you see all those lights hanging throughout Shubra's main commercial streets, on the buildings, and across shop windows. It's Christmas time.

Santa figures for sale standing at San Ibram shop for Christmas decorations in Cairo, Egypt Photo: Zeinab El-Gundy)

 

Shubra district in north Cairo is home to the largest concentration of Christians in any neighourhood in the capital.

Christmas in Shubra - like other parts of the country - is celebrated twice. The Coptic Orthodox community, which makes up 90 percent of Egypt's Christian population, celebrates Christmas on 7 January according to the Coptic Calendar. Smaller Christian denominations in Egypt - Catholics, Coptic Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals -  celebrate Christmas on 25 December, according to the Gregorian Calendar.

Colourful lights, religious icons, and ornaments that exude the Christmas spirit stay alive on Shubra's streets for several weeks before and after the holidays. 

One finds the highlight of the Christmas celebrations on Shubra's main streets takes place on famous Teraa Al-Bolakiya Street, where three gigantic Christmas trees stand, including the biggest Christmas tree in the whole district. 

The tallest Christmas tree of the three was gifted to the constituency of Shubra from MP Ehab El-Tamawy, a leading member of the Mostaqbal Watan Party and Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee at the House of Representative , according to a plate on it.

This gigantic Christmas tree and its two sisters - who tower on the opposite side of the street - were designed and made by Amir Ghattas, the owner of the largest two Christmas decoration shops in Teraa Al-Bolakia Street: San Abram bookstore and shop.

San Abram for Priesthood Clothes traditionally sells Coptic Orthodox priesthood attires but gained wider fame for its Christmas decorations merchandise.

Ahram Online missed Mr Ghattas when this writer visited his store, but found the staff on duty extremely busy with customers buying all sorts of Christmas decorations for prices cheaper than in other areas in Cairo.

Besides San Abram, there are dozens of small shops throughout the long commercial streets of the district selling Christmas decorations also at competitive prices.

Locally-made short and medium-size Christmas trees range in price from EGP 100 to EGP 300. The same goes for locally-made Christmas wreaths.

One of the shopkeepers explained to Ahram Online that local workshops start making Christmas trees and wreaths every year immediately after the end of celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Christmas on 7 January.

Some Christmas ornaments are imported from China and are sold for prices between EGP 15 to EGP 50, depending on the size and shape.

Read on here. 

Egypt's fuel subsidy bill falls almost 90% in four years

Middle East Online

Egyptian PM says Egypt's bill for subsidising fuel fell to 17 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.09 billion) from 128 billion pounds four years ago.

Thursday 23/12/2021

Egypt is a net oil importer

CAIRO - Egypt's bill for subsidising fuel fell to 17 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.09 billion) from 128 billion pounds four years ago, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said on Thursday.

In April, Egypt's price-setting committee raised domestic fuel prices for the first time since it was formed in October 2019 following the completion of subsidy reforms.

Prices were last raised in July 2019 when Egypt, a net oil importer, finished phasing out subsides on fuel products as part of a reform programme backed by the International Monetary Fund. Prices had remained stable over the past year after being lowered in April 2020 and October 2019.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sisi directs gov't to stop issuing new subsidy ration cards in order to use savings for overdue development projects

Ahram Online, by Mohamed Soliman

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed the government on Wednesday to stop issuing new subsidy ration cards and limit the number of beneficiaries to two family members per card in order to use savings towards long overdue development projects.

Under the current subsidy ration card system, around 70 million citizens receive a number of key food staples at lower-than-market prices, including rice, pasta, cooking oil and bread - at a maximum of four members of a family per card.

The Ministry of Supply has revised the list of citizens eligible to benefit from the subsidy ration card system in the past few years in an effort to streamline operations and ensure that subsidies reach those most in need.

Total food subsidies cost the government EGP 87 billion in the FY2021/2022 budget, according to recent statements by the supply minister.

During the inauguration of a major industrial complex in Assiut, El-Sisi said that the state is no longer able to disburse more subsidies, noting that "this spending is the reason behind the country's delay in implementing development projects for ten years."

"This programme does not exist in any country in the world," El-Sisi said as he stressed the negative impact of unplanned population growth on the country's development plans.

Under the current ration card programme, newly married couples qualify for a new ration card after they are removed from parent's cards.

"How can the state spend money on newlyweds when these sums are needed to carry out development projects! The subsidies should go to services and projects for the greater good," the president added.

"You marry and wait on the state to grant you a ration card… when you are not able to provide for your family? This is the wrong approach. This is the culture has been carved in the minds of Egyptians for a long time!" he lamented.

"This decision aims to help the citizens feel the economic progress that is taking place," the president said.

The president has repeatedly warned of the negative implications of  overpopulation on the country's overall development and stressed the need to control the rate of population growth.

This year, Egypt's population increased by 750,000 in just 160 days, reaching  102,750,000 on 13 December.

 

It's a small world

Ahram Online, by Azza Radwan Sedky

​It appears that our world is much smaller than we had ever imagined, and what affects a region at one end of the world impacts another at the other far end of it.

Be it a pandemic, a political upheaval, a climate change repercussion, or economic crises, consequences stretch far beyond their original location, leaving their marks across the world. This substantiates the phrase, “It’s a small world.”

The perfect example was seen in the proliferative spread of Covid 19 as it moved pervasively from one country to another. Then, with the Omicron variant, we watch again how countries around the world identify multiple cases daily. The swiftness is alarming, and despite the banning of travel, the closure of borders, the ramping up of vaccine jabs, and the many precautionary measures, Omicron is still infecting more people as it briskly crops up here, there, and everywhere, disregarding all measures.

To defeat the pandemic and its variants, every person has to be immune to Covid 19, for we are evenly susceptible to it. The speed by which the pandemic moves from region to region is proof that, “No one is safe unless everyone is safe.” However, inequity in vaccine access accounts for the current widespread of the variant. As of October 2021, only 4.4 percent of the African population was vaccinated; this while in Canada 70 percent were fully vaccinated, in Britain, nearly 66 percent, in the EU about 62 per cent.

Still, our issue today is not with Omicron per se or even Covid 19, but with the expanse of our world, and the way things reverberate from one area to another thousands of miles away.

More evidence, proving how the world is interconnected, exists everywhere. A case in point is the effects of global warming, which, if we don’t affect change soon, will definitely take a worsening turn. However, the worst carbon emitters are not the ones that will suffer the most. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned, during his participation in the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, of the threat to coastal communities around the world. “We will say goodbye to entire cities; Miami, Alexandria, and Shanghai will all sink underwater.” Alexandria’s carbon footprints are meager compared to other cities around the world but will suffer for actions committed by others elsewhere, exhibiting how we are all in this together.

As temperatures rise, there will be many a time when crops can’t stand the heat causing catastrophic food shortages across the world. Yields of major food crops like corn and wheat will likely decrease. As wildfires and drought-like conditions in Canada and Russia, for instance, lead wheat prices to record highs, importers of wheat such as Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia will be hit hard.

Other devastating climatic effects will come in the shape of droughts, floods, and less arable land. As the polluters pollute even further, food production will suffer with serious effects on countries in need, those that have already felt the pinch of high prices.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), global food prices increased nearly 33 percent in 2021. When labour shortages occur during a pandemic, food prices rise everywhere. Then as economies begin to recover afterwards, the demand surpasses the supply resulting in food shortages and higher prices for all. The consequences of climate change will affect the world at large demanding we all work together to support adaptation and mitigation to climate change, not in our own backyard only but across the world.

Incidences and crises affect the global economy, too. When the Ever Given got itself stuck in the Suez Canal last April, and blocked the waterway, worldwide repercussions ensued. The chain supply, already exacerbated heavily from Covid 19, was disrupted further. According to Lloyds List, the Ever Given held up an estimated $9.6bn of trade along the waterway each day. And Allianz, the German insurer analysis revealed that the blockage “cost global trade between $6bn to $10bn a week.”

A further example of the world’s small-scale is seen in the spread of plant diseases by global travel and trade. When goods and commodities are moved via sea containers and other modes of trade from one region to another, they also move thousands of species, sometimes to regions where they shouldn’t be. The West Nile Virus, identified first in Uganda, Africa, hitched rides to far away areas. Today it wreaks havoc in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The wood beetle, which damages wood in homes and buildings, is native to China and the Republic of Korea, but was introduced into the United States of America and Canada in infested wood packaging.

According to Universtat Oldenburg in Germany, “Potentially serious consequences of this [global trade] include the displacement or extinction of native species and the spread of health risks.” It continues, “Invasive species are bad news. They compete with native critters for food, destroy local ecology and, in some cases, are even dangerous to humans. And thanks to the increasingly global nature of our world, there are more and more animals discovered where they don’t belong.”

The world is shrinking even further via social media, which deserves an article by itself. Social media has intensified exposure to other cultures and other modes of living. With Smartphones and high speed wireless internet, there to enrich, inform, and connect, the world is at the tip of our fingers.

Indeed, it is a small world. Human beings, all the other species, and nature are interconnected. As the Dalai Lama said, “Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.”

Uncovered Documents Expose Qatari Terrorism Financing

 Asia Times, via Middle East Forum, by Jordan Cope (link: Uncovered Documents Expose Qatari Terrorism Financing)

 

When it comes to hijacking headlines, Qatar is no stranger, hosting the upcoming soccer World Cup, and even writing the world's headlines through its state-financed Al Jazeera network. Doha's natural-gas wealth has bolstered Qatar's influence, helping it fund US universities to the tune of $5 billion, lobby the US Congress, and subsidize the highly influential Brookings Institute.

Whether via high-profile spectacles, writing the headlines, or coercing those defining them, Qatar has managed to suppress its dark side – its terrorism financing.

Qatar has provided billions of dollars to Muslim Brotherhood regimes and affiliates, such as Hamas, and to Islamists who have fueled civil war in Libya and Syria, such as Ahrar al-Sham, which executed attacks alongside the successor of Jabhat al-Nusra, an offshoot of al Qaeda.

The black hole of Qatari Islamist financing plunges deeper than previously thought.

Receipts uncovered from Qatar's state-run Eid Charity – perhaps the world's largest "Salafi-controlled relief organization" – by the Middle East Forum, a US-based think-tank, suggest that the black hole of Qatari Islamist financing plunges deeper than previously thought. The receipts indicate that Qatar has provided 45,000 grants worth hundreds of millions of dollars to charities in more than 70 countries – over a third of the world.

Beneficiaries include organizations in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, but also some in Canada, Mexico, the UK, France, Germany – and even the US state of Colorado.

Though many Eid Charity beneficiaries have yet to be audited, some preliminary findings further reveal Qatar's ties to Middle Eastern radical groups including Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Hamas, and Ihsani Yardim Vakfiih (IHH). Collectively, these groups and their referenced affiliates have received about US$75 million from Qatar's Eid Charity.

AQAP's ties to the Eid Charity are unsurprising given the haven that Qatar afforded to 9/11 mastermind and al-Qaeda figurehead Khaled Sheikh Mohammed (KSM). In Qatar, KSM was employed by the Ministry of Electricity and Water, and helped plot attacks targeting the World Trade Center (1993) and the Philippines – where he reportedly sought to assassinate then-US president Bill Clinton as he traveled abroad.

Notable AQAP affiliates to benefit from Qatar's Eid Charity include the Al Ihsan Charitable Society, a recipient of nearly $17.8 million and a terrorist organization as designated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Abdullah al-Yazidi

The society is reportedly led by Abdullah al-Yazidi, an alleged former "member of AQAP's Hadhrami Domestic Council" who supposedly co-founded an organization alongside Abdul Rahman bin Umayr al-Nuaimi. Nuaimi appears on "US and UN terror lists" and is himself a founder of the Eid Charity.

The Eid Charity has also funded Yemen's Rahma Charity Foundation, a US-designated terror group due to its AQAP ties, and the Al Hikma Al Yamania Charitable Society, which has equipped "money and logistic aids to al-Qaeda leaders from Yemen and Saudi Arabia," helping them "recruit fighters and smuggle them into Iraq." Those two organizations have received about $319,000 and $6.5 million respectively.

The receipts also expose new channels of Qatari funding to Hamas, whose leaders have been afforded the impunity necessary to host conferences in Doha's premier hotels.

One of Hamas' affiliates to benefit is the Jerusalem International Foundation (Al Quds International Foundation), a Lebanese terrorist organization designated by the US Treasury Department for "being controlled by and acting for or on behalf of Hamas."

According to the US Treasury Department, the foundation is an extension of Hamas, whose officials draft the foundation's "documents, plans, budgets, and projects." It has received about $3.7 million from the Eid Charity.

Hamas officials likewise play an active role in another Eid Charity beneficiary, the House of the Noble Quran and Sunnah Society (Gaza), which has received around $565,000. Graduation ceremonies commenced by the society have been attended by Hamas leaders.

The society even hosted Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political chief, to "inaugurate" the opening of its new headquarters. At its Koran memorization competition in 2015, Haniyeh awarded certificates and delivered a speech, referencing "the blessings of the days of jihad and resistance" (see 1:18:23), and glorifying deceased members of Hamas' Izz al-Din Al Qassam Brigades as "martyrs" (see 1:24:10). Haniyeh has made numerous appearances at the society's events.

Another Hamas affiliate warranting mention is Jamiyyah Al Mujama'a Al Islami in Gaza (JMIG). The branch in Khan Younis has honored former board members before Hamas officials and regularly identifies as Al Mujama'a Al Islami, a Hamas-controlled organization established by Hamas' founder: Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. JMIG has received about $6.3 million.

The Turkish-owned ship Mavi Marmara, which took part in the 2010 "Gaza flotilla" that attempted to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.

The last notable group to receive Qatari funding is Ihsani Yardim Vakfiih (IHH), which received nearly $23.2 million. Banned by Israel, Germany and the Netherlands, IHH remains infamous for its 2010 flotilla fiasco, when its Mavi Marmara and 40 Turkish jihadi passengers sought to clash with Israeli forces and illegally infiltrate Gaza.

Nine died in the confrontation, including three IHH jihadis who beforehand "declared their readiness to become martyrs."

"Passengers" aboard the flotilla brandished "knives, broken glass bottles, and slingshots," and, allegedly, Molotov cocktails and detonators.

Ali bin Abdallah al-Suwaidi (left), general manager of Eid Charity, with IHH President Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım in April 2016 in Turkey's border province of Hatay.

Some IHH affiliates to receive funding unsurprisingly bear Hamas ties. Cue the Al Nusra Charitable Society, which has received grant money from IHH and sponsored an event with the Ibn Baz Charitable Society, another beneficiary of Eid philanthropy. Those organizations have received about $13.2 million and $3.5 million respectively.

Ibn Baz' president, Sheikh Omar al-Homs, has sought to overcome differences and promote cooperation with Hamas, observing, "the goal that we see is to bring hearts ... closer and postpone disputes before the battle with the Jews.... Hamas bears the slogan of Islam, and whatever our differences, Islam brings us together."

In sum, as Qatar razzles-and-dazzles with its flamboyant displays of wealth, it funds jihadist organizations under the table, such as AQAP and Hamas affiliates, and the IHH. The Eid Charity's receipts reflect the true motives of the pro-Islamist Qatari government, and the dangers the West welcomes as it flirts with Qatari money while turning a blind eye to its black hole of terrorism financing in the Middle East.

نحو بيئة خضراء

الاهرام ١١ ديسمبر ٢٠٢١

بقلم عزة رضوان صدقي

البرنامج التليفزيوني "الشاهد" دعا مجموعة من الخبراء المتخصصين لمناقشة قضية تغيُّر المناخ. سُمِّيت الحلقة "البيئة ومستقبل الأرض بين التشاؤم والتفاؤل الحذر". وكما قال هؤلاء الخبراء إن العالم الآن يعمل على كبح جماح التدهور البيئي وهو مجال بكر ومليء بالفرص المتجدده.  ومصر لديها الكوادر البيئية لتضيف لهذه المسيرة وبالأخص مع مؤتمر تغيُّر المناخ الذي سيُعقد في شرم الشيخ في نوفمبر ٢٠٢٢. إن الجهود التي ُذكرت في البرنامج تجعلنا نرى مدى ملاءمة اختيار مصر لتكون مضيفة لمؤتمر البيئة

ترأس الحضور الدكتورة ياسمين فؤاد وزيرة البيئة المصرية التي تحدثت عن حجم التحديات وشرحت ما تحقق بعد اتفاقية باريس لعام ٢٠١٥، حيث كان الهدف هو الحفاظ على متوسط ​​درجة الحرارة في العالم أقل من "ارتفاع ٢ درجة مئوية ويفضل إبقاؤها أقل من ١.٥ درجة مئوية". ثم تحدثت مطولا عن وجهة النظر المصرية بشأن هذا الملف وكيف وضعت القيادة السياسية تغيُّر المناخ على رأس أولوياتها على أمل خلق زخم قوي نحو بيئة أكثر خضارا تطبق في جميع القطاعات وأطراف الحكومة والدولة. كما أعطت أمثلة عديدة للمجهود الذي يُبذل في الوقت الحاضر

مثال على الأبحاث التي يتم إجراؤها اليوم حول تغيُّر المناخ هو دراسة تمت لتقييم تكلفة التدهور البيئي في القاهرة الكبرى. كانت النتائج مقلقة للغاية. قدّرت الدراسة تكلفة النفايات الصلبة وانبعاثات المركبات والمصانع والوقود الأحفوري بنحو ٤٧ مليار دولار أمريكي سنويًا في القاهرة الكبرى وحدها، لتثبت أن هذه الانبعاثات تلتهم الكثير من موارد مصر المالية. خرج من هذه الدراسة مشروع بقيمة ٢٠٠ مليون دولار أمريكي قدمها البنك الدولي لدعم مبادرات مصر للحد من تلوث الهواء والمناخ في القاهرة. سيركز المشروع على تقليل انبعاثات المركبات وتحسين إدارة النفايات الصلبة وبالطبع التوعية.

إن مثلث التغيُّر المناخي الذي يجمع بين الفيزياء والاقتصاد والسياسة يخلق أفضل بيئة للتغيير.  تُجنى فوائد عديدة حتى على المستوى الشعبي مع ربط التنمية المستدامة بالاقتصاد. على سبيل المثال إذا أدرك المزارع البسيط أن تغيُّر المناخ سيؤثر على حياته الخاصة بقلة وفرة المياه وقلة العائد من المحاصيل وأن التغييرات البيئية التي قد يتبعها ستكون مربحة سوف يتجه إلى اتباع الأساليب الحديثة تطابقا مع تغيُّر المناخ

كما تعتبر بعض المشاريع التي تقام في مصر ضرورية لمتابعة نهج تغيير المناخ. أحد هذه المشاريع تحتضنها شركة "فيري نايل" وهي مبادرة شبابية تقوم اولا بتنظيف النيل من المخلفات ثم تعيد تدوير النفايات الصلبة. تزيل فيري نايل ما معدله ١٠٠ كجم من النفايات البلاستيكية من نهر النيل بشكل يومي اي ما يقرب من ٤٠ طنا في السنة. كما تساعد الشركة المجتمع المدني في إتباع الوسائل البيئية الحديثة. بغض النظر عن مقدار النفايات التي يتم التخلص منها, فلن يكون ذلك كافيا دون احداث تغيير سلوكي في الأفراد  

مشروع بيئي ناجح آخر هو مشروع "الغاز الحيوي" الذي يحوِّل النفايات الزراعية مثل مخلفات المحاصيل وروث الماشية إلى غاز منزلي وسماد عضوي عن طريق وحدات توفرها شركات ناشئة تبني وحدات الغاز الحيوي ثم تقوم بصيانتها لاحقًا. الوحدات هذه توفر أموال المزارعين مع الحفاظ على البيئة. تكلفة الوحدات حوالي ٧٠٠٠ جنيه، ويدعم برنامج المنح الصغيرة، كجزء من مبادرة حياة كريمة، المزارعين في دفع تكلفة الوحدات

حل الأزمة الكامنة وراء حرق قش الأرز وهي الجذور وراء السحابة السوداء التي كانت تُغلِّف معظم أنحاء مصر هي قصة أخرى ناجحة. للتخفيف من هذه الأزمة البيئية تدعم السلطات المزارعين في ضغط قش الأرز وتحويله لاحقًا إلى خشب صناعي. على الرغم من أن بعض المزارعين ما زالوا يحرقون قش الأرز، إلا أن مصر في هذه المرحلة تعيد تدوير أكثر من ١.٤ مليون طن من قش الأرز سنويا

 هناك جانب آخر لهذا الملف وهو الحفاظ على المحميات الطبيعية وصون المواقع البيئية التراثية. ما يقرب من ١٤٪ من أراضي مصر صُنِّفت كمواقع تراثية محمية. وادي الحيتان في الفيوم مثال جيد على هذه الثروات البيئية، حيث يوجد به ١٠ هياكل كاملة لحيتان كانت تعيش في تلك المنطقة قبل نحو ٤٠ مليون سنة

تغيُّر المناخ وتعاملنا مع الأزمة البيئية التي يواجها عالمنا قد يحتاج إلى تريليونات الدولارات. فهل سيتكاتف العالم مع الدول النامية لتحقيق ذلك؟ وهل سيلبي "المخالفون الكبار"، أمثال الولايات المتحدة والصين، مطالب الدول النامية ويساعدونهم على تحقيق الأهداف الأساسية والضرورية لتحسين النهج المتعلق بتغيُّر المناخ؟ عموما قد طال الوقت وآن الأوان أن يعتبر العالم تغيُّر المناخ هو أهم مشكلات عهدنا هذا

Enhanced agreement between US and Egypt to prevent antiquities trafficking

Arab News, by  RAY HANANIA (Link: Enhanced agreement between US and Egypt to prevent antiquities trafficking)

Artifacts taken from Egyptian antiquity sites are trafficked through Europe and the Gulf. (Shutterstock)

The new memorandum of understanding replaces and strengthens a 2016 deal that was the first of its kind in the region.

CHICAGO: US State Department officials said on Thursday they have signed a new and tougher Memorandum of Understanding with Egypt’s government to protect Egyptian cultural artifacts from looting, theft and trafficking.

During a briefing attended by Arab News, the officials said the MoU replaces and strengthens a 2016 agreement between the countries, which was the first of its kind in the region.

Artifacts taken from Egyptian antiquity sites are trafficked through Europe and the Gulf, and there was a surge in cases in the aftermath of protests during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. The US is a major market for such stolen items, according to the State Department.

“For the looting, theft and trafficking of Egyptian cultural property it continues to be an issue,” a State Department official said in response to a question from Arab News. “We certainly saw a large uptick in 2011, when there were many disruptions in the country. Thankfully we see a lower level (now) than in 2011 but the problem remains.

“In terms of trafficking routes, they remain the same. We see a lot of movement through Europe and then on to the United States. The United States remains the largest art market, in general, in the world, so we continue to be a destination for this type of material. We also see trafficking through the Gulf States areas, which is also a concern.”

The officials said damage caused to archaeological sites, places of worship and museums around the time of the 2011 protests was extensive, and cultural-heritage artifacts were then under constant threat of plunder.

A number of valuable objects were subsequently recovered from museums and art collectors in the US. In 2019, for example, the Justice Department ordered the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, known as the Met, to return a prized item from its collection of Egyptian antiquities after confirming it had been stolen.

The looted item, a gilded coffin that once held the remains of a high-ranking priest named Nedjemankh, is estimated to be about 2,100 years old. It was returned to Egypt following a repatriation ceremony in New York attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry.

The coffin, crafted in Egypt between 150 and 50 B.C. and valued at about $4 million, was stolen from Egypt’s Minya region after the 2011 protests and smuggled out of the country, according to a State Department announcement on Oct. 23, 2019.

The Met bought it in 2017. According to the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, New York prosecutors said the dealer provided unsuspecting museum officials with forged documents that made the sale appear legitimate.

Once presented with evidence proving it had been stolen, the Met cooperated with the district attorney’s office and returned the coffin, which is now on public display in Egypt.

The new MoU expands the categories of protected objects and artifacts to including “ethnological materials.” The agreement will be policed by authorities that includes a crime task force staffed by agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, officials said. The US has similar agreements with 20 other countries including Libya, Algeria, Jordan and Morocco they added.

The new MoU also includes a legal process for Egyptian authorities to loan artifacts to US museums and special, temporary exhibitions.

Towards a greener Egypt

Al Ahram Weekly, by Azza Radwan Sedky

Much work is being done to meet Egypt’s environmental challenges, underlining the country’s hosting of next year’s UN COP27 meeting on climate change, writes Azza Radwan Sedky

An episode of the television programme Al-Shahed on Channel Ten recently was titled "The Environment and Earth's Future - Between Pessimism and Cautious Optimism."

It included a group of experts discussing the issue of climate change with special reference to the COP27 meeting, the UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in November next year.

The group provided viewers with a range of information on ways to produce a greener environment in Egypt. 

The progress that has been made on this issue is worth noting. From the discussion, it was clear how appropriate it is for Egypt to host the COP27 meeting. Egypt has environmental challenges, but it is working on them vigorously. 

Among the experts interviewed on the programme was Yasmine Fouad, the minister of the environment. Stressing how climate change is affecting countries worldwide, she elaborated on what had materialised after the 2015 Paris Agreement that aims to keep the world’s average temperatures from “rising by 2°C and preferably to keep them below 1.5°C.” 

She explained the difference between mitigating the crisis, which reduces the severity of climate change, and adaptation, which seeks to change the ways in which people live in the new environment.

Fouad moved on to the Egyptian view on climate change and the ways in which the nation’s political leadership has placed climate change at the top of its priorities. The issue is crucial for all sectors of government with the hope of creating a strong momentum towards a greener environment. 

Assessing the cost of environmental degradation in Greater Cairo is an example of the type of research being conducted today on climate change. The results are unsettling. A study has put the cost of solid waste and vehicle and factory emissions from burning fossil fuels at $47 billion annually in Greater Cairo alone. It shows that CO2 emissions, air pollution and waste are devouring Egypt’s financial assets, which could otherwise be directed elsewhere. 

This has led to a $200 million project financed by the World Bank to support initiatives to reduce air and other types of pollution. The project focuses on reducing vehicle emissions, improving the management of solid waste and strengthening decision-making when it comes to air quality and pollution.  

According to Fouad, the “climate change triangle” in which physics, economics and politics are combined creates the best environment for change. By linking sustainable development to the economy, benefits are reaped even at the grassroots level, she said. 

She gave an example of how a farmer would adhere to sustainable development principles if he realised they were profitable for him. He would also do so if he understood that climate change would affect his personal economic situation, as a result, say, of leading to lower crop yields and scarcer water availability. This is where awareness becomes vital, Fouad said. 

Many of the projects that Egypt is undertaking are essential to sustaining this approach to climate change. One such campaign, led by VeryNile, a NGO, recycles solid waste through partnerships with local stakeholders to decrease the use of single-use plastic and reduce water pollution. 

VeryNile removes an average of 100 kg of plastic waste from the Nile on a daily basis, which is almost 40 tons per year. But it believes that no matter how much waste is removed, it will not be enough if behavioural change cannot be created among the public. Again, this is where awareness becomes vital.

Another successful environmental project is a biogas project that converts agricultural waste such as crop residues and livestock manure into household gas and organic fertiliser. It saves farmers money while maintaining a cleaner environment. 

The project is led by 26 start-ups that build the biogas units and later maintain them. The small-grant programme, part of the government’s Decent Life Initiative, supports farmers in paying the cost of the units to a total of LE7,000. 

Resolving the crisis behind the burning of rice straw, the roots of the black clouds that used to envelop much of Egypt, is another success story. To mitigate this environmental problem, the authorities are supporting farmers in compressing the straw to turn it into artificial wood. Though some farmers still burn the straw, today over 1.4 million tons of it are recycled.

The other side of the coin is preserving the country’s nature reserves and protecting its heritage sites. Approximately 14 per cent of Egypt’s land is protected in this way, with Wadi Al-Hitan in Fayoum, a site where the fossilised remains of early whales are preserved, being a good example of the work being done to protect natural and heritage sites in Egypt. Wadi Al-Hitan is a wonder that must be preserved.

To deal with the environmental crisis that the world faces, trillions of dollars are needed. Who will provide this support? The “big offenders” as far as emissions of greenhouse gases are concerned are mainly the US, China and the European countries, and they should be held accountable and asked to help the developing countries to meet the necessary targets and improve their approach to climate change. 

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* The writer is the author of Cairo Rewind on the First Two Years of Egypt’s Revolution, 2011-2013.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 9 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

Egypt’s historic Mogamma building set for restoration

The National MENA, by Nada El Sawy (Excerpt Egypt's historic Mogamma building set for restoration)

The Mogamma was built in the 1950s and is synonymous with government bureaucracy. David Degner / The National

The country's sovereign fund and Ministry of Planning has signed a $220 contract with international companies to transform the government relic. 

The gargantuan Tahrir Complex in the heart of Cairo has been a symbol of Egyptian bureaucracy since it was built in the early 1950s.

The complex, also known as the Mogamma, featured prominently in the 1992 film El Erhab Wa El Kebab (Terrorism and Kebab), a comedy in which an Egyptian man becomes so frustrated by bureaucratic inefficiency that he takes everyone in the building hostage.

Not far from the building is Tahrir Square, where protests in 2011 and 2013 temporarily shut down the Mogamma.“In many different ways, almost every single Cairene has had some sort of relationship with this building,” said Yasmine El Dorghamy, founder of Rawi, a bilingual magazine about Egypt’s history and heritage.

The decaying 14-storey structure, with its broken windows and peeling paint, has been empty for months.

But that is all set to change after an announcement this week that the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and the Ministry of Planning signed a 3.5 billion Egyptian pound ($222.7 million) contract with a consortium of three international companies to renovate the Mogamma and convert it into a site that will include a hotel, apartments, offices, retail spaces and restaurants.

“The Mogamma complex begins a new journey from an old and distinctive government building in the heart of Cairo to a distinguished multipurpose complex that will attract international tourism and major international and regional companies,” said Ayman Soliman, chief executive of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt.

Egypt’s Sovereign Fund and the Ministry of Planning has signed a $220m contract with a consortium of three international companies to transform the Mogamma. Photo: Egyptian Cabinet

The consortium comprises the UAE’s Al Otaiba Investments; the Oxford Capital Group, a property investment, development and management company in the US; and Global Ventures Group, a US organisation that promotes business development opportunities in the Mena region.

Hala El Said, Egypt's Minister of Planning and Economic Development and sovereign fund chairman, said the selection reflected the sovereign fund’s strategy of developing the country’s assets and attracting investment to maximise their value.

Oxford Capital Group’s previous projects include the transformation of Chicago’s 1923 London Guarantee building into the luxury lifestyle hotel London House.

“London House in downtown Chicago reminds us a lot of Mogamma,” John Rutledge, founder and chief executive of the group, said in a promotional video for the new project.

The London Guarantee building “was beautifully located, it was beautiful architecture, but it was dilapidated and falling apart”, he said.

“So we acquired it and executed a comprehensive redevelopment … and it’s now the number one rated hotel in Chicago and one of the top hotels in the country,” he said.

The plan is to rebuild the Mogamma as an “elegant destination” that will become “an anchor and catalyst for revitalising the whole area”.

The project is expected to take about two years to complete once development work begins, Ms Said said.

The Mogamma was designed by Egyptian architect Mohamed Kamal Ismail, who died in 2008. His most prominent works include the High Court of Egypt and the expansion of the Grand Mosque of Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

The Mogamma was inaugurated in 1952 under King Farouk, before an uprising in Egypt overthrew the monarchy in July that year.

“This is not a Soviet building, like a lot of people think it is,” Ms Dorghamy said. “It was built to house thousands of government employees. [The architect] built it with a functional approach.”

She has “mixed feelings” about the plans for renovation, saying the building has “a lot of potential to be beautiful” but has been “viewed in an unfair light” owing to the unpleasant experiences of many people who went there to have paperwork done.

Read on here.