On 25 October 2026, the World Water Council and China’s Ministry of Water Resources convened the 6th Global Water Security Seminar in Cairo. It was a high-level special meeting of the 9th Cairo Water Week, held under the theme “Financing for Water Security and Sustainable Development.”
From 3:00 to 4:30 pm in the Monaco AB room, with simultaneous Chinese–English interpretation, ministers, development banks, water utilities and experts from Egypt, China and beyond shared one question: how can the world finance water security?
A partnership built on sharing what works
The Seminar is an annual flagship event co-organised by the World Water Council and China’s Ministry of Water Resources, now in its sixth edition. Both partners share the same purpose: to share knowledge and good practice, so that countries can learn from one another’s experience and put what works into action.
Voices from Egypt, China and the development banks
The session was moderated by Mr. HAO Zhao, Director-General of the International Economic & Technical Cooperation and Exchange Center, Ministry of Water Resources, China. Its strength was the range of perspectives around one table:
Host country and global water community. HE Prof. Dr. Sewilam, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Mr. Loïc Fauchon, President of the World Water Council, opened the session. Mr. ZHANG Yaqiang, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. and Minister of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Egypt, added the voice of the bilateral cooperation between Egypt and China.
National planning and budgets. Dr. Heba Salman, of Egypt’s Strategic Management Sector, and Ms. DENG Jie, of the Budget Execution Center of China’s Ministry of Water Resources, brought two national views on planning and funding water investment.
Development finance. Mr. Michel Nguessan, Chief Water Development Officer at the African Development Bank, shared the perspective of a regional bank that finances water projects across Africa.
Large-scale infrastructure. Mr. LI Fei, General Manager of the Middle Route Water Source Company of the Changjiang Water Resources Commission, presented investment and financing practices for major projects such as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.
Local action. Mr. HUANG Liming, Deputy Director General of the Zhejiang Provincial Water Resources Department, showed how investment and financing work at provincial level.
Research and industry. Mr. YOU Jijun, of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, and Mr. QU Jinwei, Country Representative in Egypt of POWERCHINA, closed the session with a summary.
Why financing is the question now
Climate change is making droughts and floods more frequent, cities are growing fast, and ageing water infrastructure is under strain. Public budgets alone cannot carry the cost. The Seminar looked at how to unlock private capital, de-risk investment through blended finance, and strengthen governance and transparency. It also looked at how governments, development banks, international organisations and the private sector can work together on all three.
Looking ahead
The Cairo edition reflected what the partnership is for: practical, comparable experience from different regions, shared openly. The World Water Council thanks China’s Ministry of Water Resources, the Egyptian hosts of Cairo Water Week, and all speakers and participants. We will continue to build on this dialogue with our partners at the next edition of the Seminar.