Alexandria advances resilience planning through the first technical workshop under MCR2030

As one of Egypt’s most important coastal and economic centres, Alexandria faces a complex combination of sea-level rise, coastal hazards, flooding, rapid urban expansion, infrastructure exposure and increasing pressure on essential services. Addressing these interconnected challenges requires a clear understanding of existing risks, institutional responsibilities, available data and priority investments, supported by a city-owned resilience-planning process.

UNDRR convened the first technical workshop held following the launch of the Consortium for Alexandria. Conducted online under the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative, the workshop brought together Alexandria Governorate, national authorities, city counterparts and technical partners. It initiated a structured technical dialogue on how MCR2030 tools, UNDRR guidance and the Consortium’s partnership framework could support Alexandria’s transition towards becoming a safer and more resilient coastal city.

Participants reviewed Alexandria’s current risk profile, existing strategies and plans, institutional arrangements, available risk data, resilience priorities and capacity gaps. The workshop also addressed stakeholder mapping and the proposed development of an Alexandria Resilience Roadmap. Discussions highlighted the need to ensure that investments in infrastructure, coastal protection and urban services are informed by risk evidence so that they provide long-term benefits and remain effective under changing climate conditions.

The workshop explored how the Consortium can support a practical and locally owned agenda involving national authorities, local government, academia, the private sector and development partners. Participants identified next steps related to technical assessments, data collection, stakeholder engagement and roadmap development. Alexandria will draw on the experiences of Aswan and Sharm El-Sheikh under the Making Cities Resilient initiative while advancing its ambition to become a Resilience Hub by 2030. The process seeks to convert partnership commitments into coordinated implementation and promote safer, more inclusive and risk-informed urban development.