The final event for 6th of October City’s Green City Action Plan (GCAP) took place on 31 January 2024, bringing together diverse stakeholders after a year of working together with the 6th of October City Authority on the GCAP development. This included private sector, civil society and academia. Egyptian Ministries were also present through representation from Ministry of International Cooperation (MOIC), Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities (MHUUC), as well as from the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA).

This event marked the adoption and beginning of implementation of Egypt’s first completed GCAP, as Alexandria and Cairo GCAPs are currently underway. This GCAP exemplifies the importance of multi-level governance throughout the GCAP’s development. The GCAP brings to light the following cross-sectoral challenges facing 6th of October City: land use, transport, energy and buildings, water, and solid waste.

To address these challenges, 14 Anchor Projects have been identified. These projects sum up to a total investment of EUR 340 million and promote actions that are technically feasible, can be operational within a short timeframe, and align with 6th of October City’s overarching Strategic Goals. Key projects include the improvement of solid waste management infrastructure, the expansion of existing water treatment facilities, the bus rapid transit scheme to improve public transport and the harnessing of solar energy through solar panel infrastructure for buildings and street lighting.

The Green City Action Plan is also an opportunity for synergies with other international research organisations. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) recently launched its Air and Water Labs - a global initiative founded by J-PAL and Community Jameel aimed at generating evidence-based solutions in partnership with government agencies to improve clean water and air access. This initiative’s specific research on water scarcity and air quality improvement can complement GCAP investments in the water sector as well as other priority sectors, to provide evidence to support policymaking in 6th of October City.

A key factor to the success of the 6th of October City GCAP was its extensive stakeholder engagement throughout the decision-making process. A dedicated youth engagement initiative was designed to bring together engineering, arts, and environmental sciences students from Al-Ahram Canadian University, Nile University, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts, The Higher Institute of Applied Arts, and 6th of October University. One of these workshops enabled students to design their vision for the City’s future through a mural design, out of which 29 designs were submitted and one design selected to be painted. These workshops led to students participating in awareness-raising campaigns in their respective Universities about the GCAP, as well as proposals for activities that students and City officials could complete together, illustrating the strong willingness for engagement in city-level climate action by the city’s youth.