News
Exhibition for Recycled Works of Art
Launching the Environment and Climate Investment Unit, by the Ministry of Environment in the presence of her excellency the Minister Yasmine Fouad, the World Art Forum for Development Foundation (WAFDF) organized an exhibition for recycled works of art at the Environmental Cultural and Educational Center, "Cairo House".
The celebration was attended by Mrs. Yvonne Baumann, Swiss Ambassador to Cairo, Ms. Elena Panova, UN Egypt Resident Coordinator, Artist Randa Fouad, Director and founder of the World Art Forum for Development Foundation (WAFDF), Mr. Abdel Hakim Al-Waer, Assistant Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) and the FAO Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, and Mr. Ahmed Rizk, representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Dr. Hoda Sabry, advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Investment, Dr. Muhammad Hamza, representative of the government at the American University in Cairo, a number of representatives of the private sector, civil society, and a group of specialists and leaders at the Ministry of Environment.
The Minister has pointed out the importance of opening markets for green investment and finding effective market mechanisms in the field of environment and climate investment, AND we through our initiative are one of the partners in the upcoming events and activities held in order to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), Egypt Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for Climate Change 2050.
WAFDF organized this exhibition within the framework of cooperation between the Foundation and the Ministry of Environment. Ms. Randa Fouad, director and founder of the World Art Forum for Development Foundation, presented one of her paintings that depicts the charming surrounding nature, as a gift to the Cairo house.
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The World Art Forum (WAF) Launches the First Initiative of its kind Titled "Sustainable Art and Human Development"
(Cairo, March 12th, 2023)
The WAFDF launched a unique initiative entitled "Sustainable Art and Human Development". The initiative aims to support the economic empowerment of young people, girls and women who have talent in the field of plastic art and link it to the field of entrepreneurship. The initiative focuses on providing a series of trainings for talented youth on how to recycle solid waste and use it in the field of plastic art. This initiative works on two pillars, the first is to benefit from the talent of young people in the field of art and exploit it as a job opportunity, and the second is to recycle solid waste in a step to preserve the environment.
The initiative comes in light of the cooperation of the WAFDF with the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, which is the training arm of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, in the presence of H.E Dr. Hala Al-Saeed, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and H.E Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment.
As a first stage of this initiative, with the support of our development partners Mentors, Three 60, and with a sponsor by the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Environment, and the National Council for Women, and in partnership with the United Nations, Tatweer Misr company, Bank Misr, and a group of private sector institutions, the WAF is organizing a number of activities, including holding workshops and a number of exhibitions.
In her speech, the artist, Randa Fouad, the founder and president of the WAF, stated that this initiative is the first of its kind. Its distinction comes from linking art, specifically fine art, to the field of sustainable development in its various dimensions, specifically the environmental dimension and the economic one, and targeting young artists because they are the future of fine art in Egypt. It is worth noting that this initiative is the result of a great effort over two years to link art with development and community service.
Mrs. Fouad stressed in her speech that the initiative comes within the framework of the vision of "Egypt 2030" to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Dr. Sharifa Sherif, Executive Director of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, stated that the initiative reflects Egypt's priority in achieving sustainable development, as it aims to enhance the role of art as a complementary and essential tool for achieving the goals of sustainable development by investing in young artists, enhancing their skills and building partnerships among artists, decision makers and experts in the field of development.
Reports For Workshops
First Workshop Report (En)First Workshop Report (Ar)
Second Workshop Report (En)
Bank-Nut Exhibition
Cairo, November 8, 2023 – The World Art Forum for Development Foundation (WAFDF), led by Artist Randa Fouad, launched its 3rd annual exhibition today at Banque Misr Museum. Titled "Bank Nut for Sustainable Art," the exhibition is a groundbreaking event in Egypt and the Middle East, as it exclusively features Recycled and Upcycled Art. This showcase underscores the crucial role of art in driving social change, promoting environmental awareness, and bolstering the creative economy. The event is held in partnership with Banque Misr and Tatweer Misr.
The exhibition witnessed the distinguished presence of visual artist Randa Fouad, President and Founder of World Art Forum for Development Foundation, Mohamed El-Etreby, Chairman of Banque Misr, and Ahmed Shalaby, President & CEO of Tatweer Misr. In addition, esteemed officials from the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Environment, and Banque Misr, as well as renowned visual artists, joined the significant event.
This year's exhibition features 100 Sustainable Art Ambassadors who have undergone a year of training with WAFDF. It also presents contemporary artworks by prominent Egyptian upcycling artists. In a show of support for Palestinians, the foundation has pledged a portion of the proceeds from young artists' works to go to the Egyptian Red Crescent.
COP28
COP28 (Ar)
COP28 (En)
2023 Achievements
World Art Forum for Development Foundation is pleased to successfully present its annual report:
1- WAFDF started the year by its mega innovative initiative Sustainable Art and Human Development in partnership with WYF ,Governance and Sustainable Development Institute, Ministries of Planning, Culture, Environment,National Council for Women ,UN Office in Egypt, UN Women ,Bank Misr and its strategic partner Tatweer Misr.
2-A High Profile Launch event and Four Sustainble Art and Human Development workshops were organised to train young artists on recycled Art, Entrepreneurship skills and SDGs to empower youth and women through creative economy .Each of the workshops took one week of training.The workshops took place from March to September 2023.
3-A Network of Sustainable Art Ambassadors was Established in September 2023 with 100 trained artists who are familiar with New Trends of Recycled Art and SDGs.
4-Bank Nut ,A Mega High profile Recycled Art Exhibition was organized at Misr Bank Museum in November 2023 displaying the Art work of our Sustainable Art Ambassadors.The Exhibition was attended by high profile personalities who praised the Art work and all Art was sold during the event.
5-We presented the results of our initiative Sustainable Art and Human Development (first phase) internationally at COP 28 in Dubai during a special high profile session organised by World Art Forum for Development Foundation ,the results were presented by Ms Randa Fouad founder and President of WAFDF, and Ms Shahira El Gebaly moderated the session which was successful on an international level and presented an excellent start for the second phase.
6- World Art Forum for Development Foundation will start the second phase of Sustainable Art and Human Development initiative beginning of 2024 with its Sustainable Art activities merging it with Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Egypt ,the Arab World and internationally .
7-All activities had excellent media and social media coverage both on a National and international levels. Which provided visibility and awareness raising on issues related to Art and Sustainability.
Through Her Eyes: A Sustainable Art Initiative
Opening ceremony of the workshop The initiative’s workshop launched at the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development The Training Arm For The Ministry Of Planning And Economic Development (NIGSD), with 30 selected women artists from different Governorates all over Egypt - and living in Cairo- who were ready to explore the intersection of art and entrepreneurship within a sustainable framework.
Dr. Sherifa Sherif the Executive Director of The National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development opening remarks set the tone, highlighting the workshop's alignment with the (SDGs) and encouraging the young women to focus on their own ambitious paths with confidence. She also highlighted the importance of societal and community help and how crucial it is for women to choose the right crowd who will set up their members for success.
Building on this momentum, Ms. Randa Fouad The President of WAFDF explained the workshop's name, "Through Her Eyes: A Sustainable Art Initiative" and how the initiative aimed to bridge the gap between artistic expression and sustainable development, to create a unique perspective on environmental awareness. She also brought up the points of creative economic independence and how it sets the artists free and allows them to further discover their practice through being able to afford the materials and experimental practices they need for the progress of their careers. She also highlighted the entrepreneurial aspect about the whole initiative.
Ms. Neveen Ahmed the Programme Manager, Governance and Gender Equality in the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt further highlighted the role of the European Union Delegation to Egypt in supporting different projects and initiatives within the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality scope as well as the environmental and climate change issues. She added that the partnership between The EU and WAFDF was created as it aligns with their goals of contributing to the framework that holds women empowerment, developmental aspects and sustainable art creation. She elaborated on the project's focus on the Heliopolis' architectural heritage and the historic value that the Sultana Malak Palace would serve as both inspiration and canvas for the participants' artistic creations, offering a tangible link between artistic expression and female empowerment.
Following a coffee break, Ms. Mireille Barsoum started her inspiring presentation about the current female entrepreneurial reality, offering data and statistics. She painted a clear picture of the current creative entrepreneurial art market, equipping them with the tools to translate their self expression into successful businesses. Her session concluded with an inspiring message on achieving success as young women entrepreneurs, leaving the trainers eager to start their artistic training.
Hadeer Mostafa, the art trainer, seamlessly took over, with a presentation exploring the Heliopolis' architecture highlighting the neighbourhood's visual elements and motifs, as a guiding reference to the artworks, she then started speaking about the new techniques she uses to incorporate plastic bags, threads, and fabric scraps into their artwork. The artists were then introduced to an abundance of materials chosen by their trainers which was provided by WAFDF. The first day set the tone for the workshop's dynamic introduction to innovative,
environmentally-conscious techniques.
PepsiCo's Competition
Create, Win and Inspire
In the light of The World Art Forum For Development Foundation participation at the World Urban Forum, we are pleased to announce a competition for young egyptian artists in the field of Sustainable and Recycled Art.
The competition aims to challenge the creativity of young artists in creating innovative artworks from waste materials, and inspiring others about the power of creativity and how we can transform available resources into valuable artworks.
Apply for an opportunity to win a financial prize, which will be judged by a panel of experts in Sustainable arts in Egypt.
Those who wish to apply should review the competition terms and conditions and send photos and work details of their artwork via email to wafdf.org@gmail.com.
We encourage all young artists from all of Egypt with a passion for sustainable art to apply for this competition.
أبدع، الهم غيرك وفز بجائزة
بمناسبة المشاركه في مؤتمر قمة المدن بعده انشطه تعلن مؤسسة المنتدى الدولي للفن التشكيلي من أجل التنمية عن تنظيمها لمسابقة لشباب الفنانين في مجال الفن المستدام وفن اعاده التدوير.
تهدف هذه المسابقة إلى دعم إبداعات شباب الفنانين علي مستوي مصر في خلق أعمال فنية مبتكرة من المخلفات، وإلهام الآخرين بالقوة الكامنة للإبداع وكيفية تحويل الموارد المتاحة إلى أعمال فنية ذات قيمة وفرصة الفوز بجائزة مادية مجزية يشرف على تحكيمها لجنة من خبراء فن اعاده التدوير في مصر.
على من يرغب في التقدم أن يتطلع على شروط المسابقة وإرسال صور وبيانات العمل عبر الايميل wafdf.org@gmail.com
نُشجع جميع الفنانين الشباب علي مستوي الجمهوريه الذين لديهم شغف بالفن المستدام وفن إعادة التدوير على التقدم لهذه المسابقة.