H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, held a number of bilateral meetings with multilateral and bilateral development partners and representatives of governments, during her participation in the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington.

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat met with H.E. Ms. Zeina Toukan, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where the meeting discussed ways to enhance partnership between the two ministries to exchange expertise in the field of development planning and policies for achieving economic development. H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat also reviewed Egypt’s experience in preparing “Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development: Reforms for Growth, Jobs & Resilience.”

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat affirmed that Egyptian-Jordanian relations represent a model to be followed for Arab cooperation, in light of the continuous attention and support they receive from the political leadership in both countries, especially amid the developments and rapid transformations taking place in the Arab region and the world.

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat also met with H.E. Ms. Haneen Sayed, Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs, where they discussed the bilateral relations between Egypt and Lebanon. The Minister referred to the coordination between both governments to convene the 10th session of the Egyptian-Lebanese Joint Higher Committee, in order to open new horizons of cooperation to promote development efforts in various fields.

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat also expressed Egypt’s appreciation for its relations with sisterly Lebanon, and its keenness to elevate them to broader horizons. She pointed to the efforts undertaken by the Egyptian government to enhance social protection and support low-income groups through several programs and initiatives, foremost among them the Takaful and Karama program, implemented in cooperation with the World Bank, which has become an international model for social protection and human capital development.

In another context, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat met with H.E. Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, President of the African Development Bank, within the framework of the strategic relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Bank, and the ongoing partnerships that support efforts to achieve sustainable development and integration among the countries of the African continent.

The two sides discussed developments in the joint relations, particularly in light of the Bank’s role as a key development partner in the water pillar of Egypt’s country platform NWFE (Nexus of Water, Food and Energy), in addition to the financing provided by the Bank to the private sector in Egypt, with the aim of supporting economic development efforts.