NDF Leadership

Dr. Emad Eldin Adly
Chairperson

Dr. Emad Eldin Adly is a medical doctor by profession. His passion for the environment developed at a very early age. He grew up watching both the Eastern and Western banks of the Nile in Manial lsland. His environment career started with some university colleagues with whom they established the Arab Office for Youth and Environment (AOYE) in 1978 two years before he graduated from Medical School. He is the Chairperson of AOYE. He has also worked with UNDP where he was the National Coordinator of GEF small grants programme and the UNDP LIFE Programme. As a Nile Basin activist, his entrance was when he was invited to attend a meeting at the IUCN headquarters in Gland in 2002 organized by the IUCN, World Bank and UNDP, a meeting attended by other civil society leaders from the 8 Nile Basin countries and it was at this meeting that the idea to form the Nile Basin Discourse that would involve the civil society in the Nile Basin development and cooperation was debated. Dr. Emad is one of the founder members and the first Chairperson of the Nile Basin Discourse elected in 2003. He was re-elected again in 2010 to the position.
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Dr. Ahmed Zaki Abu Kenaiz
Vice Chairperson

Dr. Ahmed Zaki Abu Kenaiz is the Vice chair of Egypt National Discouse Forum (EgNDF). He holds a PhD from Sugar Crops Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre.
He is a member of Member of Arab Science Journalists Association; Egypt Chairman of Environmental Union Federation(EUF), Aswan, Egypt; and also Chairman, The Local Nile Basin Discourse Forum, Aswan;

Souzan Mohamed Zaki
Secretary General

Souzan graduated from the Faculty of Mass Communication - Cairo University and she has been working as a Journalist in Al Gomhoria Newspaper. Souzan founded the Department of the Environment and Sustainable Development in Al Gomhoria Newspaper; she is the Assistant Editor in Chief of AL Gomhoria Newspaper and board member of Egypt National Discourse Forum. Souzan has represented and participated in international conferences and NGOs activities related to Egypt National Discourse Forums and Environmental awareness and she has won many awards and certificates of appreciation from UNDP, United Nations, World Health Organization, European Union and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment.
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Mohamed Mahamoud El- Sayed
Treasurer

Mohamed Mahmoud El-Sayed is the First Under-Secretary in the Ministry of State of Environment in Egypt. He is the Vice Chairperson of the Arab Office for Youth and Environment (AOYE) and a member of the Egypt Nile Discourse Forum(EgNDF) holding the position of Treasurer. Mohamed represented the EgNDF on the NBD Board from 2008 to 2010 and served in the position of NBD Treasurer during that period.
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Achievements of the EgNDF
During the past years, EgNDF has conducted several activities, as follows:

• Activating the concept of “Public Diplomacy”, as a mechanism to address water security in Egypt, and also the cooperation among the basin countries. The forum discussed the concepts of “Public Diplomacy” in a workshop entitled "Public Diplomacy for a Safe Nile", held in November 2010, aiming to maximize the role of civil society in the Nile protection and to achieve sustainable development.
• EgNDF has been involved in Egyptian Public Diplomacy Delegation that visited Ethiopia in April 2011 for confidence-building and extending bridges of cooperation with the eastern Nile countries.
• Organizing the regional workshop for countries of the Eastern Nile Basin (Ethiopia - Eritrea - Sudan - Egypt) under the title "shared Water ... shared opportunities" in order to focus on the important links between the countries of the Nile Basin and activating the role of those who support it at the local, regional and international levels, and the creation of a joint cooperation in the activities and projects to protect the river. It was attended by representatives of the Office of the Eastern Nile Basin (ENSAP) as well as representatives of the embassies of the Eastern Nile Basin countries, in addition to a number of international and local organizations involved in the case, and representatives of the local and African media.
• Discussing the results of diplomatic Egyptian popular delegation visit to Ethiopia and the results of sub-regional Forum of the Eastern Nile Basin east as well as the changes taking place in the Nile Basin countries, studying the ways of cooperation between Egypt and the Nile Basin countries, the expected scenario if there is no such cooperation, and the role of civil society in the activation of this cooperation to Ethiopia during the meeting held by the Forum entitled "The Nile Basin ... challenges and benefits of cooperation" in April 2011.
• Organizing two exchange visits between the countries of Eastern Nile Basin (Egypt - Sudan - Ethiopia), the first visit was to Minya in November 2011, and the second to Bahr Dar, Ethiopia, in January 2012 aiming to communication between African communities and make them aware of the need for cooperation between the Nile Basin countries. As a result of these visits EgNDF created a groups called “Nile messengers" to promote cooperation in the Nile Basin by raising awareness about the shared social and cultural dimensions between the Nile Basin countries in order to support a mechanism for the joint benefits.
• Call to strengthen the role of parliamentarians in consolidating of cooperation with the Nile Basin countries and to achieve water security to Egypt during a meeting held under the title of "good governance and the consolidation of cooperation with the Nile Basin countries," under auspice and presence of the ministers of water resources and irrigation, and the State for Environmental Affairs, and representatives of the Nile Basin embassies. The meeting was attended by experts from governmental organizations and NGOs to discuss the role of civil society in this context as well as the development of the language of the media discourse to increase cooperation between the Nile Basin countries.
• Nile Day celebration, which is in 22nd February every year where approve this date the proclamation of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). It was through the central celebration in Cairo as an extended meeting as well as campaigns to clean and beautify the banks of the Nile, in addition to similar campaigns in the provinces Members Forum.
• About the importance of media role in addressing the national public opinion and the international and regional levels , and how the integration of civil society and the media in the process of boosting cooperation between the countries of the basin, Systems Forum conference under the title of " the mechanisms of media and civil society of Egypt with the Nile Basin countries ," and the headquarters of the Journalists' Syndicate in April ( 2012) to discuss this important topic , as well as a vision of civil society on the mechanisms of future cooperation between the Nile Basin countries to ensure the historical rights of Egypt in the Nile waters , and at the same time the call to build confidence and achieve the benefit of all. The meeting also discussed the nature of the media discourse before and after the January revolution and proposals for the development of this discourse in the next phase .
• In an attempt to develop a unified strategic action plan to deal with the Egyptian African relations, EgNDF organized a meeting entitled "implement locally .. think regionally" in March 2012, in conjunction with a very important time in the history of Egypt.
• Organizing a workshop entitled " Virtual Water/ Water Footprint Awareness Creation & Data Collection in the Nile Basin Countries," which was held in the framework of cooperation between EgNDF representatives of NBD in Egypt and the project of regional trade of agricultural productivity, which is being implemented within the program projects the Southern Nile (NELSAP) , as one of the NBI projects.
• Discussing the proposed articles in the new constitution about the Nile through meetings, seminars and workshops about protecting and development the Nile and how to embed it in the new constitution. This was done during a central meeting in Cairo and 6 meetings at local forums in Alexandria - Behaira - Aswan - Beni Suef - Minya - Dakahlia which have been attended about thirty to forty participants per seminar in addition to the members of parliament councils and the local forums, university professors, media and civil society organizations and those interested in the Nile issue to discuss these articles.
• EgNDF issued several issues as a book explained the radical transformations in dealing Egyptians individuals, politicians and experts with the Nile River during the historical period since the mid-19th century till the mid-20th century in Egypt entitled "The Other Face of Nile " and another book includes poems, legends and anecdotes that told about the Nile River entitled "unity of life”
• Implementing many studies and research on biodiversity in the islands of the Nile, the optimal use of water in agriculture, and microfinance projects in addition to the evaluation of a project initiative which called "confidence-building and participation of beneficiaries program" Finally, a study about the project "watershed in the eastern Nile countries".
• Field research under the slogan "Nile in our eyes" that was conducted in five provinces to explore the views of people and community-based organizations and the executive bodies and decision-makers to reach a clear vision embodies the nature of the Egyptian society's perception of the Nile, which led to the development of a comprehensive plan to raise public environmental awareness among citizens about how we preserve the Nile.
• Awareness programs for school to root maintaining the Nile in the minds of children through a selection of five public schools in each governorate to form a group to preserve the environment in general and the protection of the Nile River, in particular, and implementing a number of activities to keep the water and raising awareness of the importance of the protection of the Nile River.
• Establishing a strong media network have a play an influential role in dissemination of necessary knowledge and awareness for the people as well as news coverage of the activities of all local forums in different provinces.
• As the request of NBD, EgNDF conducted a survey among all the members in Egypt to explore thier views about advantages and disadvantages of Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) and if the society accept this Agreement or not.
• On Saturday, February 22, 2014 at the Cultural environmental Center (Cairo House), Egypt National Discourse Forum EgNDF organized the celebration of the Nile dayentiteled "The Nile ... goals and challenges" under the auspices of the Ministers of Water Resources and Irrigation, Social Solidarity, scientific research and ministrer of the state of Environment, and in the presence of HE Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the former Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, The head of the Arab Water Council, Eng. Ahmed Bahaa Eddin, head of the Nile water sector, and a number of experts and specialists and the media.
• EgNDF participated in cooperation with NBD organized the workshop entitled "Identifying stakeholders and capacity building on climate risk management" in Cairo, 7 May 2015. The participants discussed the climate risk management in the context of building capacity of civil society in the basin countries in order to participate effectively in the protection of the river and to achieve cooperation among the countries.
• EgNDF participated on the 1st Nile Basin Discourse Summit - 29th & 3oth November 2017, that was held in Entebbe.