● 2022 included the signing of 34 cooperation documents in various fields during the joint committees with Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria and Azerbaijan, the revival of the Egyptian-Polish joint committee and preparations for the joint committee with Kazakhstan.

The Ministry of International Cooperation announced the details of efforts to enhance regional integration and the convening of joint committees that enhance cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and many countries within the framework of the role played by the ministry to strengthen and develop joint economic relations with multilateral and bilateral development partners.

The joint committees are an important mechanism for revitalizing and developing bilateral cooperation relations, benefiting from experiences between countries in various fields, and strengthening common positions and common potentials identified and how to benefit from them and facilitate economic, commercial and investment cooperation.

The annual report of the Ministry of International Cooperation for the year 2022, issued under the title "International Partnerships for Sustainable Development: From Pledges to Implementation", lists what was witnessed in the past year, at the level of the Supreme Committee convening with Arab countries, economic committees with friendly countries, and the resulting results from cooperation documents amounted to 34 documents in various priority areas of development, in addition to holding a joint business forum between the private sector from Egypt and partner countries.

The Ministry of International Cooperation supervises 68 joint committees between Egypt and many countries, including 10 joint higher committees that include the preparatory side with countries in addition to 15 technical and sectoral committees that are held within the leadership of the ministry and their counterparts from other countries.

The Egyptian-Jordanian Joint Higher Committee

In 2022, the Egyptian-Jordanian Joint Higher Committee, headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh, convened in its 30th session, which is considered one of the most successful and regular joint committees since it convened in 1985.

During the session held in Cairo, 2 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed for cooperation between the two sides. The first is cooperation in the field of logistical areas, and the second MoU for cooperation in the field of agriculture. The executive program in the field of higher education was also signed between the two sides, as well as the signing of the executive program for cooperation between the two sides in the field of youth for 2022-2024, as well as the signing of a cooperation protocol in the media field.

The Egyptian-Tunisian Joint Higher Committee

The 17th Egyptian-Tunisian Higher Joint Committee also convened in Tunis, where the prime ministers of the two countries witnessed the signing of 11 agreements and MoUs for cooperation between the two countries and on areas of expertise exchange for international cooperation, trade, export development, as well as cooperation in the sectors of agriculture, higher education, scientific research, communication and information technology, meteorology, climate, housing, construction, and exchange of information between financial market authorities.

Historically, the Egyptian-Tunisian Joint Higher Committee held 16 sessions headed by the prime ministers of the two countries and is known to be one of the oldest joint Arab committees, producing more than 135 cooperation protocols  in various economic and technical fields in the areas of infrastructure, logistics, road transport, railways, youth, commercial and industrial.

The Egyptian-Algerian Joint Higher Committee

The 8th Egyptian-Algerian Joint Higher Committee, headed by the prime ministers of the two countries, also convened in the Algerian capital, which culminated in the signing of 13 agreements and MoUs and cooperation in various fields, addressing several sectors including: water resources, industry, MSMEs, governance, environment, employment, investment, finance, and education, among many others.  An MoU was also signed between the Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of Diplomatic Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Egyptian-Azerbaijani Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation

In another context, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, chaired the Egyptian side in the convening of the 5th Egyptian-Azerbaijani Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, whose activities were held in the Azerbaijani capital "Baku". This joint committee witnessed the signing of 5 cooperation documents in various fields of development, to expand the scope of cooperation in terms of economic, scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries, in addition to holding a joint business forum with the participation of the private sector from both sides to advance ways of joint cooperation.

The committee witnessed the signing of the protocol of the fifth session of the Egyptian-Azerbaijani joint committee, which includes a number of areas, most notably: investment, trade and industry, health, pharmaceutical industries, electricity and renewable energy, petroleum and mineral wealth, higher education and scientific research, culture, youth and sports, tourism and antiquities, communications and information technology, agriculture, transportation, as well as cooperation between the free economic zones of both countries.

Moreover, they signed an MoU for cooperation between Egypt’s MSMEDA and the Agency for the Development of Medium and Small Enterprises in the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the aim of enhancing technical cooperation and expertise exchange in the field of MSEMs. This is in addition to an MoU for the establishment of the Egyptian-Azerbaijan Business Council between the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Egypt and the  Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), and an MoU for cooperation between the port of Alexandria and the port of Baku, with the aim of achieving mutual benefit, strengthening relations, achieving sustainable development between the two ports and strengthening trade relations, as well as a draft MoU for cooperation between the Egyptian Businessmen Association and the Export and AZPROMO to support the partnership between the aforementioned  sector in both countries.

Revival of the Egyptian-Polish joint committee

As part of the first visit of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, to the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat signed an economic cooperation agreement with the Polish side. This took place during the Egyptian-Polish Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation to enhance joint economic relations between both countries.

The  new economic cooperation agreement signed between Egypt and Poland replaces the economic cooperation agreement signed in 1964 with 12 sessions of the joint committee; consolidating a new phase of relations between both countries, which will be carried out through joint action in different areas of development and economic cooperation. The last committee was held in 1993 in Cairo.

The Egyptian Sudanese Land Ports Committee

In the last quarter of the year, the Egyptian-Sudanese Ports Committee convened in its 12 session in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, headed by the Ministry of International Cooperation from the Egyptian side and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Sudanese side. Its convening came as a continuation of a long process of work, as the committee discussed visions for developing work at the ports and other sectors. The work of the committee also touched on the studies and procedures undertaken by the authorities in the two countries to develop the ports and expansions to be established, as well as the logistical areas and investments planned to be established in the areas surrounding the ports.

The Joint Egyptian-Kazakh Committee

During 2022, preparations began for the 6th session of the Egyptian-Kazakhstan joint committee for economic, scientific and technical cooperation, where Al-Mashat held a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Khairat Lama Sharif, in Cairo to discuss arrangements for convening the joint committee between the two countries to enhance economic cooperation.

Enhanced economic cooperation with Kazakhstan, opens a new important chapter of partnership for the two countries in light of their long-standing historical relations, particularly in trade, investment, industry, antiquities, and pharmaceutical industries.

During the launch of the annual report at the headquarters of the Ministry of International Cooperation, representatives of development partners applauded the constructive partnerships with the government, and the sustainability of the implemented partnerships based on the priorities of the Government of Egypt and its national plans in order to implement the SDGs and stimulate the participation of the private sector in development through development finance and technical support, referring to the continuous coordination and work between the technical teams from the ministry and partners in order to enhance collective action to advance comprehensive and sustainable development efforts. Moreover, representatives of development partners emphasized that the annual report of the ministry is a comprehensive work that documents a joint effort between all international institutions and the government in order to coordinate efforts to overcome development challenges.