On Monday, July 28th, 2015, Mr Christoph Retslaff, Chargé d’affaires German Embassy; Mr Sebastian Lesch, Counsellor and Head of German Development Cooperation, accompanied by Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl, PDP Programme Coordinator visited the Integrated Resource Recycling Center (IRRC) in Khanka City and the Transfer Station in Khosoos City which are two of the main outputs of the programme. The PDP continues to follow up on the sustainability and impact of its component on solid waste management (Integrated Community Based Solid Waste Management in Qalyubeya Governorate) which was finalized in December 2014.
The Ministry of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements (MURIS), PDP’s political partner, was represented in this visit by Dr. Maha Bashir, Head of Solid Waste Sector; and Mr. Ahmed Badawy from the same sector. In addition, Mr. Mohammed Talaat Head of Qalyubeya Urban Upgrading Unit and representative of the Governor, along with Mrs. Nagwa Alashry, Head of El Khanka City Council participated in the visit. The visit started with an informative tour of the IRRC in Khanka City, where the German Delegates received a presentation on the different stages of solid waste sorting and processing at the facility by the operating engineer and Ms. Heba Behairy Head of Component – PDP. Mr. Talaat expressed the Governor’s appreciation for PDP’s efforts in establishing the IRRC.
The delegation then visited Khosoos Transfer Station and received a very warm welcome by the following stakeholders: Mr. Abedl Rahim Taha, Head of the City Council, Station’s Operators, and Mr. Hassan Mahmoud Head of the Friends of Environment NGO established by the support of PDP to assist the informal waste operators to formalize their work. A group of beneficiaries from the informal waste collectors that received tricycles from the PDP to support their collection efforts and enhance their living and working conditions were present and welcomed the German Delegation as well. Additionally, a number of formalized informal garbage collectors, currently contracted by Khosoos City Council, also spoke about their positive experience with the PDP during the formalization process.
IRRC Operating Engineer explaining different stages of sorting and processing solid waste.
Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl and Ms. Heba Behairy provided a short presentation on the operations of the Transfer Station, including its positive impacts in raising the efficiency of waste collection in Khosoos City. Additionally, they explained how the Transfer Station contributes to improving the living and working conditions of the informal waste collectors and recyclers. It is worth noting that due to the success of this programme, Mr. Talaat urged Dr. Guenther during this visit for further cooperation and support by PDP in this regard.
Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl and Ms. Heba Behairy provided a short presentation on the operations of the Transfer Station
This visit has confirmed PDP’s fulfillment of its programme objectives, through the
“3Rs Approach” (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) constituting the guiding principle of PDP’s work in the area of waste management, stressing the value of waste as a resource rather than focusing exclusively on waste collection and waste disposal. This value chain approach to waste management that puts an emphasis on composting and recycling contributes to the preservation of scarce resources and help to reduce greenhouse gases.
On Tuesday, May 05, the Climate Change Component of the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) organized the 2nd Stakeholder Workshop in combination with the 3rd Advisory Board for Climate Change in Cities (AB-CCC) in order to follow up the piloting of several small scale measure for better climate change adaptation in Ezbet el-Nasr as well as encouraging a vibrant and fruitful knowledge exchange between relevant actors in the field. The half-day event that took place in Flamenco Hotel in Zamalek brought together stakeholder from various institutional settings, namely representatives of academia, national and local authorities, civil society, public research centres, development cooperation, NGOs and the private sector.
The importance of further pursuing climate change adaptation activities in the context of informal settlements was expressed in an initial opening speech by Ms. Shahira Abdel-Raziqon behalf of the Ministry of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements (MURIS) – PDP’s new political partner and by Mr. Hisham Eissa on behalf of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). In the following presentation Johannes Lueckenkoetter of Plan and Risk Consult and PDP’s partner for developing and implementing a comprehensive adaptation strategy, explained the scientific approach upon which the 9 small scale measures have been developed.
The scientific elaborations were followed by May El-Ibrashi’s representation of the current status-quo of implementing the small scale measures in Ezbet El-Nasr as part of MEGAWRA’s local consultancy. The audience got informed that the community of Ezbet El-Nasr will realize the implementation of façade plastering, painting and planting as well as covering roof tops and streets for better sun shading after designing the respective measures in a participative manner in the following Catalyst Event.
With regard to the idea of mutual exchange and knowledge transfer upon which the AB-CCC is based, participants were given the chance to discuss and further develop the topic within an open discussion round led by Yasser Sherif of Environics as well as in the following roundtables. Many promising ideas were expressed especially concerning institutionalization, integration of different stakeholders and initiation of synergies. In the end of the day, the great success of the workshop was perfectly expressed by Ms. Zizi Assaad, Head of Urban Upgrading Unit Giza, stating that the link between PDP C2’s climate change activities and the role of the Public Authorities was once more made explicit and reasonable.
Egypt is facing rapid informal development that has reshaped the form and nature of Egyptian cities over the past several decades. In the early-90s the government began preparing plans to develop informal areas in most of the Egyptian governorates. Currently, about 37.5 % of urban mass in Egypt is unplanned with densities of around 500 person / fd while this percent increases to 95% in villages. Many intervention activities target upgrading informal settlements; improving the living conditions of residents and promoting local economic development. Thus the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) contributed to the first Egyptian Urban Forum held on June 14th-16th 2015 in Cairo.
Under the theme of Urban Planning and Renewal came the Panel is to discuss the various approaches, methodologies and techniques that the Ministry of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements ( MURIS) is adopting and the gaps and disconnections that affects the effectiveness of upgrading efforts. Add to this the foreseen future and the role of NGOs in improving the conditions of informal areas. Moreover; the panel discussed the most important projects that should be considered while upgrading informal areas in the cultural or service sector.
Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl, PDP Coordinator, was one of the panelists in the “Informal Areas and Low Income Neighborhoods.” Dr. Wehenpohl started his word stating that we have to improve the physical situation in the informal areas as we are all working on behalf of the people living there. Dr. Wehenpohl stated also that people coming from rural areas to the city are only seeking better economical situation, and this is the case why the buildings in the informal areas are getting higher and bigger. He also mentioned that a lot of organizations in Egypt are working in developing the informal areas, and as GIZ is one of the organizations working for the same cause, PDP is one of the programs that has a participatory approach towards developing the informal areas. Meaning that, PDP does the best to get the people involved in the all the activities specially in planning stages so as to get their full support and to recognize and identify their needs within their local communities.
The main governorates that the program is working on are Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia under the intergovernmental agreements that the PDP has with different authorities.
Safa Ashoub, Institutionalisation Advisor, from Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas moderates the Informal “Economy, Growth and Equity” session in the first Egypt Urban Forum.
In developing countries the informal economy plays a crucial role in providing diverse job opportunities that are more accessible to the labor market. On the one hand, the informal economy is an important survival strategy for the poor, while on the other hand, it is often regarded as troublesome as informal businesses evade taxes and operate outside of state control, which can also offer illegal activities.
The first part of the session covered the patterns of the street vendors in downtown and different informal areas. It was highlighted that the importance of the government role in developing and putting those markets into structure in order to reach a mechanism that all parties agrees on; merchants, people living in the area, and the government.
The second part covered the significant connection between the countryside and the urban regions and how both affects each other in a direct way starting from planting the seeds until the fruits and vegetables reach the people living in the urban regions. Also, the session covered the small and medium recycling business in Manshiet Nasser and the challenge this industry is facing regarding resources, better places to work and legalizing their work as well, and they raised the flag for the government in order to try and reach a solution for it as well.
The session ended with an open discussion between the panelists and the attendees which shed light on the importance of the topics discussed and how it affects different parties on different levels, and the proposed solutions proposed to solve these issues.
“How can cities better adapt to climate change on a local scale and what institutional background is needed therefore? How are concepts of green and sustainable infrastructure integrated into the city scape? What is the relation between urban agriculture and food security? How can exchange platforms and international networks enhance the climate change adaptation performance of cities around the world?”
All these questions were tackled within the study tour called “German Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation in Cities” which was organized by the Climate Change Component (C2) of the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) from Sunday, the 7th of June to Friday, the 12th of June in Germany. There, unique insights on climate change adaptation from a German perspective based on an international scale were offered. The study tour was accompanied by acknowledged experts from the most important fields of climate change adaptation in Egypt. Namely, representatives from the Ministry of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements (MURIS), the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the Governorates of Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia, as well as the private sector, represented by Schaduf Company and MEGAWRA on behalf of the civil society.
The study tour was organized around the annual “Resilient Cities Conference” of ICLEI – the world leading organization for climate change adaptation on a local level. The outstanding highlight of the 3 days of conference was the GIZ presentation about “Adaptation capacities in densely populated areas”. Thereby, PDP/C2’s recent climate change adaptation project which has been successfully initiated in one of Cairo’s informal settlements (Ezbet el-Nasr) was introduced to and further discussed with the audience. The other sessions were evolving around various themes, such as food security, health implications of climate change, multi-stakeholder approaches for building resilience, ect.
On the first day of the study tour, a meeting with ICLEI representative Ms. Eva Madeira was held in order to give the participants the possibility to grasp a comprehensive overview of the ICLEI activities around the world. The meeting motivated the participants to discuss the possibility of engaging the Greater Cairo Region in upcoming ICLEI activities as well as possibly becoming the first city-member of the Arab region.
In order to enhance the theoretical input of the conference, a half-day trip was organized to the city of Andernach, which is known as the “Edible City”. There, the delegation members were introduced to the concept of city-wide urban agriculture regarding its ecological, economic and social aspects.
In addition to the attendance of the conference in Bonn, the second part of the study tour was taking place in Stuttgart, which is the partner city of Cairo Governorate. The city has put great efforts in the last years to develop a climate-sensitive agenda for the whole metropolitan region. This engagement resulted in the production of a “Climate Atlas” functioning as basis for the development of a city-wide climate change adaptation strategy. In order to successfully challenge the heat island effect and high pollution rates, which Stuttgart is known for due to its location in a valley, the strategy includes green corridors as well as green rooftops and fresh air channels. The “Green Living Room” project in the neighbouring city of Ludwigsburg that the delegation was also visiting in a half-day trip perfectly exemplified the planning and implementation of urban green infrastructure for enhancing the micro climate in the urban context. Both, the green living room in Ludwigsburg as well as Stuttgart, provided the delegation with particularly interesting insights on climate change adaptation as direct links could be drawn to the case of the Greater Cairo Region.
Overall, the study tour was a great success as many promising connections and networks could be initiated and deepened. The delegation members were provided with manifold information, new aspects and promising approaches for a better climate change adaptation on the local level, but from an international perspective. The study tour was also a good opportunity for the participants to exchange about mutual future cooperation between national and local levels and even with the private sector. Last but not least, the particular strength of the study tour was the possibility for the participants to gain real hands-on experience and to perceive personally the positive impact of small scale measures for climate change adaptation.
On Saturday, March 14, together with 7 Grant Beneficiaries and 1 Local Initiative Fund Beneficiary, the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP), organized a Gender Fair to celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8) and Egyptian Women’s Day (March 16). It was a full day of activities for all ages organized in Al-Azhar Park.
Over 200 participants, children, youth, women and men, from three different informal areas of Greater Cairo (Ain Shams, Ezbet el Nasr and El Warraq) joined us and participated in lively discussions and activities exploring gender and women in the Egyptian context.
The different activities explored the relationship between men and women in Egypt and triggered a discussion about male and female employment and respective gender stereotypes. Women who are engaged in entrepreneurship shared their experiences and responded to questions and comments from the audience. Children drew posters and performed a puppet show depicting the struggles of girls to access education. A documentary about women in Upper Egypt explored the challenges women face and the Initiative Ana Hunna “أنا هنا, I am here, Je suis là“ which is part of a regional GIZ programme on women’s empowerment, Economic Integration of Women in the MENA Region (ECONOWIN), showed the short movie “Om Amira”. The movie sheds light on the daily life of Halima Mohamed Ahmed or “Om Amira” (Arabic for “Amira’s Mother”) and explores how she bares the responsibility for her ill and unemployed husband and her paralyzed daughter. It depicts the real struggles and sacrifices of a mother in an impoverished family in Egypt to secure food, shelter and income.
The Governor of Qalyubeya Inaugurates an Integrated Resource Recovery Centre in Khanka City and a Transfer Station in Khosoos City
Cairo, 7th of December 2014, the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) successfully held a closing ceremony of its Integrated Community Based Solid Waste Management project in the Cities of Khosoos and Khanka together with H.E. Minister Dr. Leila Iskandar, Minister for Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements, H.E. Engineer Mohammed Abdel Zaher, Governor of Qalyubeya, and Mrs. Noémie Bürkl, Counsellor, C-Head of Development Cooperation, German Embassy Cairo. The event, which attracted around 100 participants, took place at the newly established Integrated Resource Recovery Centre (IRRC) in Arab El-Olikat local unit in the City of Khanka. The inauguration of this centre as well as the Transfer Station in Khosoos was part of the full day Ceremony. The integrated community based solid waste management (SWM) project is incorporated within the PDP and has been funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a total amount of USD 5 million, and managed by the GIZ through the support of the Qalyubeya Governorate. “We have put the issue of solid waste management at the Governorate’s top priorities and would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the PDP, using funds provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for developing the solid waste management systems in the two Cities of Khosoos and Khanka,” said H.E. Engineer Mohammed Abdel Zaher, Governor of Qalyubeya. “The project positioned Qalyubeya Governorate as a pioneer in this field.”
from left to right: Dr. Günther Wehenpohl, Programme Coordinator PDP, H.E. Minister Dr. Leila Iskandar, Minister for Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements, H.E. Engineer Mohammed Abdel Zaher, Governor of Qalyubeya and Mrs. Noémie Bürkl, Counsellor, C-Head of Development Cooperation, German Embassy Cairo, inaugurating the IRRC.
On the national level, the project had the vision of making the Qalyubeya experience serve as a model for the SWM strategy. On the local level, the project created livelihood opportunities for the urban poor in Khosoos and Khanka and improved overall environmental conditions for creating a better living environment. The project contributed to the realisation of establishing an integrated and community based solid waste management system in the Cities of Khosoos and Khanka with around 750,000 inhabitants by following five objectives which were:
Developing integrated SWM strategies through the participation of all stakeholders
Raising awareness among the stakeholders on the existing problems and their roles and responsibilities for the improvement of the SWM system
Building the capacity of concerned stakeholders on sustainable and environmentally sound methods of managing waste
Improving living and working conditions of informal waste collectors and recyclers
Establishing sustainable structures for the recovery and recycling of waste
The idea of establishing the Integrated Resource Recovery Centre (IRRC) in Khanka City derived from the concept of deploying alternative fuels, especially for the cement industry. Hence, the centre separates recyclables and produces compost and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). It was designed and tendered out following international standards with a total investment cost of about USD 1 million and has a processing capacity of 100 tons of waste per shift. The IRRC is most likely to be tendered out to the private sector for operation with clear conditions to provide the informal sector with working opportunities.
from left to right: Dr. Günther Wehenpohl, Programme Coordinator PDP, H.E. Engineer Mohammed Abdel Zaher, Governor of Qalyubeya and Mrs. Noémie Bürkl, Counsellor, C-Head of Development Cooperation, German Embassy Cairo, inaugurating the Transfer Station.
Transporting and finally disposing waste was a huge challenge for informal waste collectors. Not only did they need to use their own collection equipment when transporting the waste to the landfill but they also invested a lot of time and money, as the distances between the sites are too long. The project established a transfer station inside Khosoos City in order to address these challenges. Instead of going all the way to the landfill the private collectors can transfer their waste to this station. The total investment of the transfer station is about USD 420,000 including three trucks, ten containers and ten tricycles for the waste collectors.
“While the PDP has been the implementer since the start of the project in October 2010 until its end in December 2014, the success lies in the engagement of all participants: the informal waste workers, the citizens, the municipal and governmental employees,” stated Dr. Günther Wehenpohl, the Programme Coordinator of PDP. “They are the main stakeholders and main actors who continue the work after the project’s end to achieve sustainable impact and improved conditions.”
On 18th of November 2014, the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) successfully inaugurated together with Ahmed Taimor, Deputy Cairo Governor the Governorate District Urban Upgrading Unit (UUU) in Ain Shams, Cairo Governorate. Only two days later, on 20th of November 2014, the PDP successfully inaugurated together with Dr. Aly Abdel Rahman, the Governor of Giza, the UUU in South Giza district in the Giza Governorate. Both events were attended by around 30 partners, Governorate representatives and colleagues. By revealing the memorial marble plates at both premises and cutting the ribbon the events symbolically marked the operation start of both units. In the Ain Shams is located within the premises of the administrative body of the Ain Shams district and will be employing up to six staff members. It is one of four units which are all located within the Cairo Governorate. The South Giza UUU which is located within the premises of the administrative body of the Giza district, will be having around five staff members and is one of three units which are all located within the Giza Governorate.
For the PDP the UUUs are an important part in its participatory approach of upgrading informal areas. Through the units, the development measure is able to further capacity development, institutionalisation as well as decentralisation of administrative bodies. “The general role of the UUUs is to provide strategies and implement mechanisms for the development of informal areas at the Governorate level,” said Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl, Programme Coordinator PDP. “Furthermore, they facilitate technical interventions and approaches as well as support different management styles in urban upgrading.” As each District has its special areas where the PDP implements several projects, the respective UUU has its own tasks to fulfil apart from the general role it plays. In the case of Ain Shams, the unit will be preparing infrastructure projects for the development of informal areas, coordinating with NGOs and youth alliances of the District to prioritize projects, carrying out required and administrative works and attend trainings and meetings. While the UUU in South Giza will be responsible for tasks such as coordinating development mechanisms for informal and unplanned areas using participatory methods to engage the residents and relevant stakeholders, identifying development needs and coordinating the resources required for that and following up with the implementation of all projects. Both events were followed by a lively press conference.
from left to right: Sébastian Trenner, Head Social Section, European Union Delegation to Egypt, H.E. Ahmed, Deputy Cairo Governor, Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl, Programme Coordinator PDP and Eng. Soad Naguib, Deputy Minister of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements after revealing the marble plate at the Ain Shams UUU.
from left to right: H.E. Dr. Aly Abdel Rahman, the Governor of Giza, Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl, Programme Coordinator PDP and Eng. Soad Naguib, Deputy Minister of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements cutting the ribbon at the South Giza UUU.
The Lord Mayor of the City of Stuttgart and his six-member delegation
met with the PDP and its partners in Ezbet el Nasr
On Saturday, 1st of November His Excellency Fritz Kuhn, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart, together with his six-member delegation visited two of the PDP’s grants projects in Ezbet el Nasr, one of the informal areas in Cairo Governorate, as part of his three-days trip to Cairo. Since Stuttgart is the twin city of Cairo the delegation aimed at getting insights of Cairo’s current situation as well as revitalising the existing partnership. The PDP was honoured to be on the agenda of the delegation and to get the opportunity to present itself and its partners to Stuttgarts’ high-ranking delegation. Together with representatives from the German Embassy, members the Cairo Governorate as well as its partners from the area the PDP showed the delegation two of its 17 projects which got awarded with a contract from the European Union as part of its Grant scheme in last July.
The day started to Misr El Qadima Voice Association, an Egyptian NGO, which is implementing environmental measures with its project “My right to live in a clean and secure environment” until the end of June 2015. In Ezbet el Nasr, the project is creating a green area of 1600m2, establishing street lightning, installing fixed garbage containers and bins and raising awareness of local residents on environmental issues. While the delegation was very impressed by the projects’ structure and content it also raised critical questions which were also discussed with the people in charge. To what extend the Cairo Governorate is welcoming and supporting projects like these and how sustainability would be guaranteed after the finalization of the project were the concerns of Lord Mayor Kuhn. Excited about the fact that the informal area will get its first park he appreciated the NGO’s efforts and further encouraged it for future activities.
Fayoum Agro Organic Development Association is the second project visited on the day. It is contributing to the improvement of the educational services in Ezbet El Nasr by establishing a model child club that offers kindergarten services and extra-curriculum activities for teenagers. The delegation and its accompanists were the first high-ranking visitors to the freshly renovated premises of the project. By elaborating on the purpose and structure of the project all attendees could draw a picture of how the kindergarten would look like for the estimated 40-50 children. Lord Mayor Kuhn was very interested in learning about the planned educational and cultural opportunities for both teachers of primary and secondary schools as well as for students from secondary schools.
On the way to the next stop of their programme Lord Mayor Kuhn and his six-member delegation reflected on the newly gained impressions and already thought about new fields of cooperation between the twin cities Stuttgart and Cairo.