UN-Habitat Egypt

21/10/2026

In Tabal village, Damietta Governorate, a wastewater treatment system was established to address long-standing sanitation challenges in the area.

Completed in late 2023, the project promised more than just improved sanitation.

The system serves approximately 5,000 people. By preventing wastewater from accumulating in the village’s streets, the project helps create a cleaner, safer environment where children can play without being exposed to sewage-contaminated mud.

UN-Habitat hand in hand with Ministry of Housing Utilities and Urban Communities and the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, The Coca-Cola – Global Environment and Technology Foundation, established a compact, eco-friendly, and low-cost technology, enabling the installation and operation of the treatment plant to serve as a pilot project in the area.

By responding to local needs and conditions, these interventions contribute to more inclusive and healthier living environments, leaving no one behind.

Read more on: https://unhabitat.org/news/12-mar-2024/Turning-the-tide

19/10/2026

: Nearly 13% accounted for trips made by walking or cycling in Greater Cairo in 2021.

Fragmented sidewalks, limited crossings and unsafe intersections can make everyday journeys difficult, particularly for women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.

Egypt’s Active Mobility Strategy Framework 2025–2034 addresses these challenge by providing a national framework to make walking and cycling safer, more accessible and better integrated into urban transport planning.

Developed by ITDP in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, the New Urban Communities Authority, UNEP and UN-Habitat, the framework promotes connected pedestrian and cycling networks, safer street design and more inclusive mobility.

By supporting Egypt’s wider sustainable development and climate commitments, this provides a roadmap for cities where people, not just vehicles, are at the centre of urban mobility.

Because safe mobility should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability or where they live.

Learn more on Egypt’s Active Mobility Strategy Framework 2025–2034 through: https://africa.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/EGYPT-ACTIVE-MOBILITY-STRATEGY-2025-2034-260122.pdf?

19/10/2026

🔔 Reminder | Join us tomorrow!

During , join us for the first Virtual Dialogue launching the Arab Urban Collective on SDG Localization!

This regional Community of Practice brings together urban stakeholders from across the Arab region to exchange knowledge, build partnerships, and advance SDG localization and multilevel governance.

In this first dialogue, we will explore the need for a dedicated regional platform connecting Arabic-speaking urban stakeholders and fostering collaboration towards more inclusive, sustainable and locally driven development.

📅 Date: 20 October 2026
🕚 Time: 11:00–12:00 Cairo time (UTC+3)
💻 Format: Online
🗣️ Language: Arabic
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/d5PdayX7

18/10/2026

: In 2008, following the establishment of the Urban Development Fund (UDF), formally known as Informal Settlements Development Fund (ISDF), Egypt introduced a classification system to identify unsafe areas and guide appropriate interventions.

The system distinguishes four degrees of risk, ranging from life-threatening hazards and structurally unsafe buildings to inadequate basic services, environmental pollution and housing built on central lands.

Depending on the circumstances, interventions include relocation, renovation, infrastructure improvements and tenure arrangements.

One example is Al-Asmarat, developed in three phases to accommodate residents relocated from first-degree unsafe areas. The development provides housing alongside health, educational, and sports facilities.

By linking risk assessment with context-specific, people-centred interventions, urban upgrading can better address local challenges and respond to community needs, leaving no one behind.

Read more:
https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/12/regional_is_report_final_dec_2020.pdf

16/10/2026

16/10/2026

15/10/2026

Rural women play a vital role in shaping local economies and sustaining communities.

Recognising their contributions means more than celebrating their resilience.

It means creating the conditions for them to participate in shaping the places where they live and work.

Inclusive and sustainable rural urban development depends on equitable access to land, basic services, infrastructure and economic opportunities, as well as meaningful participation in planning and decision-making.

Through its key programmes, UN-Habitat Egypt works hand in hand with national and local partners to:

- Strengthen rural livelihoods: through the Modernization of Irrigation Techniques in Upper Egypt (Qena, Sohag and Assiut), supporting smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, in adopting modern, water-efficient systems that enhance agricultural productivity and household income.

- Promote equitable land management: under the Hayenna Project, improving land governance, planning and financial frameworks to promote women’s inclusion in land-related processes, decision-making and local economic development.

- Enhance access to safe water and sanitation: through Riverbank Filtration (RBF) projects in Al-Minya, Sohag, Assiut and Luxor, as well as decentralized sanitation solutions in villages such as Tabl (Damietta), helping improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation, protect public health and reduce the burden associated with household water and sanitation needs.

- Connect cultural heritage with local economic development: through projects such as the Dandara’s in Qena, creating opportunities for rural women to contribute to sustainable tourism, cultural preservation and local economic growth.

On this International Day of Rural Women, advancing inclusive rural-urban sustainable development means recognising rural women’s contributions, addressing barriers to opportunity and ensuring their voices help shape the future of their communities.

14/10/2026

During , join us for the first Virtual Dialogue launching the Arab Urban Collective on SDG Localization!

The Arab Urban Collective on SDG Localization is a regional Community of Practice bringing together urban stakeholders from across the Arab region to exchange knowledge, build partnerships, and advance SDG localization and multilevel governance.

In this first Virtual Dialogue, we will explore the need for a dedicated regional platform connecting Arabic-speaking urban stakeholders and creating opportunities for collaboration towards more inclusive, sustainable and locally-driven development.

📅 When: 20 October 2026
🕚 Time: 11:00–12:00 Cairo Time (UTC+3)
💻 Format: Online
🗣️ Language: Arabic
🔗 Register here: db127f76-0492-452d-b4ea-8f6797adbcc1@0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/db127f76-0492-452d-b4ea-8f6797adbcc1@0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70

13/10/2026

في المدن، يرتبط المسكن ارتباطًا وثيقًا بالمنظومة الحضرية المحيطة به، بما تشمل من الأراضي والبنية التحتية والمياه والطاقة والتنقل والخدمات الأساسية والحوكمة والمجتمعات المحلية.

وعندما تقع الكوارث، قد تؤثر الاضطرابات التي تطال هذه المنظومات سريعًا على قدرة الناس على البقاء بأمان في مساكنهم، وعلى قدرة المجتمعات المحلية على التعافي.

بمناسبة اليوم الدولي للحد من مخاطر الكوارث، يسلّط موئل الأمم المتحدة الضوء على أهمية النظر إلى قدرة المساكن على الصمود باعتبارها جزءًا من منظومة حضرية أوسع. ويُعدّ فهم المخاطر والترابط بين مكوّنات هذه المنظومة، وتقليل أوجه الضعف والهشاشة، وتعزيز القدرات المحلية، أمورًا أساسية لمساعدة المدن والمجتمعات على الاستعداد للكوارث والاستجابة لها والتعافي من آثارها.

ومن خلال أدوات مثل أداة تحديد ملامح القدرة على الصمود في المدن (City Resilience Profiling Tool)، التي طوّرها البرنامج العالمي للقدرة على الصمود في المدن التابع لموئل الأمم المتحدة، نعمل مع الحكومات المحلية على فهم هذه الروابط بصورة أفضل، وتحويل المعلومات المتعلقة بالمخاطر إلى أولويات عملية للعمل.

تعرّفوا على جهودنا في مجال القدرة على الصمود الحضري: https://urbanresiliencehub.org/publications/

12/10/2026

Urbanization is not only about how cities grow, it is about how people live, connect and access opportunities.

Egypt’s national urban policy (NUP) aims to respond to the challenge of a growing population that is projected to reach 140 million by 2050, and to improve physical and social infrastructures beyond the major urban agglomerations.

The NUP provides a framework for transforming urbanization into a source of wealth, supporting cities to become more socially inclusive, well-connected, and climate-resilient.

UN-Habitat supported the development of the NUP and is now partnering with the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to mainstream a People-Centred Smart City Approach into the policy. The goal is simple: technology should serve people, helping cities improve services, respond to local needs and create better urban environments.

Explore Egypt’s National Urban Policy (2023) here:
https://gopp.gov.eg/السياسة-الحضرية-الوطنية/