Following the MSEA policy directives, and in meeting its responsibilities at the regional and local levels within Egypt, EEAA is continuously developing the capacities and partnerships necessary to strengthen its presence in the Governorates. This is achieved through the expansion and the consolidation of its network of Regional Branch Offices (RBO's), and the development of the capacities of the Environmental Management Units (EMU's) of the governorates. Moreover, the support to initiatives implemented at the local level with the aim of enabling governorates in the fields of environmental management and protection, consolidates these efforts.

In this respect, the process of enhancing the capacity of the RBO's to carry out their responsibilities has progressed during the year 2000/2001 by further staffing, and the establishment of five equipped laboratories out of the total eight, an accomplishment achieved with support from the Japanese Government. This was accompanied by continuous capacity building, carried out through the Central Laboratory of EEAA. Furthermore, a number of training courses and on-the-job training targeting both RBO and EMU staff members, were conducted during 2000/2001. These activities were primarily focusing on environmental inspection of the industrial sector, supported by Danish and Finnish assistance, in conjunction with the importance accorded by EEAA to the enforcement of Law 4/1994 for the Environment.

With the objective of clearly defining the policies and operational procedures of the RBO's, a decree of the Chief Executive Officer of EEAA was issued (Decree 17 for 2001) within the context of the Egyptian Environmental Policy Program. Furthermore, the coordination procedures between the central level of EEAA, its RBO's and the EMU's, have been subject to an extensive study carried with the assistance of the Organizational Support Programme, supported by the Danish Government. The study, focusing on the areas of environmental impact assessment, industrial inspection and management of hazardous substances and waste, presents procedures for the coordination of RBO and EMU activities within these areas.

Over the past years, the development of Governorate Environmental Action Plans (GEAP's) in the Governorates of Sohag and Dahkaliya has been supported by EEAA through the Support for Environmental Assessment and Management initiative of the United Kingdom Department for International Development. Extensive community consultation and participation of the local communities have helped build consensus on the priority environmental issues and actions identified in these GEAP's, currently under implementation. During 2000/2001, the focus has been on strengthening the institutional capacities of the respective governorate EMU's and consolidating the roles and functions of environmental offices at the Marqaz (district) level, established, together with environmental officers at village level, as a result of the GEAP process.

Through this same initiative, environmental improvements to the immediate benefit of some of the poorer communities in Sohag and Dakahliya have also been achieved by the implementation of community projects focusing on solid waste management. In accordance to the priorities of MSEA, solid waste management and industrial abatement have been areas of particular focus, with the development and implementation of solid waste strategies and demonstration projects as well as cleaner technology initiatives. These were developed to support the strategic planning and capacity building activities in the two governorates. In recognition of the participatory environmental planning and management system that was developed in the two governorates, the programs carried out in Sohag and Dahkaliya were collectively awarded with the European Environment Award for the year 2000.

Based on the successful experiences from Sohag and Dakahliya, a participatory GEAP process is under way for replication in three additional governorates in Upper Egypt comprising Qena, Beni Sueif and Aswan, and in the Delta governorate of Damietta. In Qena, baseline studies for background information necessary to the GEAP's to be developed are already being carried out with assistance from the Support for Environmental Assessment and Management initiative of the United Kingdom Department for International Development, with a similar process about to start in Damietta. With the purpose of supporting the development and the implementation of the GEAP's in these two governorates as well as Sohag and Dahkaliya, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been developed. In Beni Sueif and Aswan, assistance to the EMU's for the development of GEAP's will be provided by the Danish Government. This assistance will entail strengthening the capabilities of the EMU's in these two governorates to carry out routine environmental management activities such as enforcing environmental regulations, monitoring, implementing national policies and co-ordinating investment and development activities within the governorates.

The coming year will see further support to the decentralization of environmental management, through institutional support to two RBO's, yet to be determined, as well as to EEAA´s Central Department of Branches Affairs, to be carried out with assistance from the Danish Government.