In line with the international development community’s demands for unity and action amid global events, the Minister of International Cooperation, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, embarks on an important three-day visit to the United Kingdom, where she will hold key meetings to accelerate climate action and strengthen Egypt’s economic, technical and climate cooperation with international financial institutions and development partners.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Minister will hold a fireside chat with EBRD’s Director of Gender and Economic Inclusion Barbara Rambousek and EBRD President Odile Renaud Basso and EBRD Governor to discuss the importance of gender equality and measures to be taken for an inclusive future.
In an address to the EBRD’s Board of Directors, the Minister will give a presentation about Egypt’s notable achievements in several sectors including green, inclusion, and the private sector.
These meetings coincide with the launch of the new country strategy between Egypt and the EBRD. The launching ceremony took place on Saturday, 5 March, with the participation of a diversity of stakeholders from the government, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the private sector, representatives of parliament, and civil society. To achieve the expected results for Africa at COP27, the Minister is participating in a high-level event by the World Economic Forum titled “Friends of Climate Action,” which brings together a unique, informal and open group of multi-sector, multi-stakeholder public and private non-state actors collectively acting to shape the climate action agenda. The event will include the participation of Gim Huay Neo, Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum, and Alok Sharma, President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. The Minister will also hold key meetings with officials from the International Finance Corporation, including Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Mr. Sérgio Pimenta, Regional Vice President for Africa at IFC, to discuss bolstering development cooperation and enhancing the role of the private sector in Egypt’s economy. Concluding her visit on Thursday, the Minister will hold meetings with a number of government officials, including Lord Ahmed, Minister for South and Central Asia, North Africa, UN, and the Commonwealth, Diana Layfield Chair of British International Finance, and Louis Taylor, CEO of UK Export Finance. 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 includes; 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; and 4) managing Egypt’s economic relations with international organizations of economic cooperation, the international financial institutions and specialized agencies of the UN.