Since 2020, the Ministry of International Cooperation has worked towards strengthening cooperation with all our stakeholders including, bilateral and multilateral development partners, private sector, think tanks, philanthropic organization and civil society; building partnerships that are based on the globally agreed upon Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in line with national objectives and country strategies. 

With less than a decade left until the 2030 SDGs, it is necessary to accelerate progress and take decisive action towards green, resilient, and inclusive development. 

On the international scene, Egypt was one of the first countries to develop a long-term plan to achieve the SDGs, a key part of the Ministry of International Cooperation’s work in accordance with its mandate.

The Ministry of International Cooperation’s mandate issued by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Egypt,  No. 303 of 2004, outlines a mission that clearly defines the importance of sustainable, inclusive development, innovative financing, efficient and effective monitoring of development projects, and continuous cooperation with development partners and all stakeholders. 

The Mandate:

1) Developing and strengthening the economic cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and other countries as well as international and regional organizations

2) Proposing the criteria for obtaining external financing; both funds and grants

3) Following-up and monitoring ministries and national agencies that benefit from foreign financing within the framework of the general economic policy of the country to ensure achieving the economic development goals

4) Managing Egypt’s economic relations with international organizations of economic cooperation, the international financial institutions and specialized agencies of the United Nations.

In order to advance the efforts undertaken by the Government of Egypt to accelerate progress towards sustainable development, the Ministry of International Cooperation  developed a framework to strengthen Economic Diplomacy through 3 key principles. This includes regularly organizing Multi-Stakeholder Platforms to ensure that all projects between development partners are streamlined and effectively coordinated to accelerate the pace of development, in line with the national agenda; mapping Official Development Assistance to the SDGs for all development projects with multilateral and bilateral development partners; and adopting a consistent Global Partnerships Narrative by putting People at the Core & Projects in Action & Purpose as the Driver (P&P&P).

This helps create close links between relevant entities from the government and private sectors, civil society and development partners, to promote comprehensive and sustainable economic growth, stimulate the transition to a green economy, enhance the participation of the private sector in development, and increase efforts to empower women and youth as a potential force in the Egyptian economy via  innovation and entrepreneurship. 

More of this is detailed in the “Stakeholder Engagement through Economic Diplomacy” book, published at the London School of Economics with the aim of showing the work that has been done, presenting the ODA-SDG mapping as a reference in international forums, and promoting the principles of transparency, communication and governance on which the country’s development narrative is based. 

Through Economic Diplomacy, the Ministry of International Cooperation curated comprehensive partnerships and innovative  solutions to advance multilateral cooperation efforts, so as to provide development financing to the public and private sectors, enhance technical support, and stimulate efforts to exchange expertise and development experiences, as well as keep pace with global developments. This includes using innovative and blended financing tools to bridge the financing gap needed to meet the SDGs.