The New Urban Communities Authority (Nuca) has just given its approval for the integration of the City of October 6th, into the "Green Cities" programme of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Located in the governorate of Giza, the City of October 6th is the third Egyptian city to join the EBRD programme which supports sustainability in urban development.
This is one of the outcomes of the visit of Odile Renaud-Basso, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to Cairo. The City of October 6th, located in the urban area of Cairo, is part of the EBRD’s “Green Cities” programme. The integration agreement was signed between the EBRD President and the officials of the New Urban Communities Authority (Nuca), the entity in charge of urban planning in Egypt.
Read also EGYPT: EBRD President’s visit to Cairo focuses on green economy
Several senior Egyptian officials were present, including Rania Al-Mashat, the Minister of International Cooperation, Mahmoud Sharawi, the Minister of Local Development, and Sayed Ismail, the Deputy Minister of Housing for Infrastructure. With this agreement, the City of 6 October becomes the third Egyptian city to integrate the EBRD’s “Green Cities” programme, after Alexandria and Cairo. The programme has a budget of €2.5 billion.
Financing sustainable municipal infrastructure
The EBRD’s Green Cities programme provides funding for the development of sustainable municipal infrastructure to help cities become greener. According to the EBRD, almost three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions come from cities.
“The path to a green future starts in our cities. The Egyptian government is paving the way for inclusive and resilient infrastructure through sustainability-driven urban development and low-carbon mobility. Our partnership with the EBRD in its flagship urban sustainability programme serves as a regional example for the future development of cities, ensuring a green and safe urban environment for all. This is integral to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Rania Al-Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation.
The EBRD’s Green Cities programme is supported by the Taiwan-Business-Berd Technical Cooperation Fund and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance through the EBRD-administered City Regeneration and Environment Fund (Create). The City of October 6th, will now benefit from the sustainable infrastructure financing component of the EBRD’s Green Cities programme. The London-based bank intends to support this city of 1.5 million people in water and wastewater management, urban transport, renewable energy production, energy efficiency in buildings, solid waste “and other interventions that improve the city’s adaptation and resilience to climate shocks”.
Jean Marie Takouleu
