Bringing together over 300 stakeholders from the wider international community, the event included the participation of Marina Wes, Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti at the World Bank, Heike Harmgart, Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Leslie Reed, USAID Mission Director for Egypt, IFC's Regional Director for MENA, Beatrice Maser, United Nation’s country representatives, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the private sector, academicians, public figures, and civil society. The report, titled ‘International Partnerships for Sustainable Development’, tracks Egypt’s progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The report draws on the latest available data found in the Ministry’s ODA SDG mapping exercise, and provides an overview of Egypt’s implementation efforts, highlighting areas of progress and the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on each SDG. Heike Harmgart expressed appreciated for the Ministry’s role in mainstreaming SDGs in development cooperation, and for putting the focus more strongly on the private sector, adding that it is “truly impressed by the website, and we are looking forward to working more intensely on post COVID-19 recovery and building back better to achieve the SDGs.” Alfredo Abad, Head of the European Investment Bank, commended the Ministry’s role in fostering dialogue, particularly in pushing for “inclusiveness with all development partners,” to strengthen diverse engagement. For her part, Beatrice Maser, IFC's Regional Director for MENA, underlined the Ministry’s proactive initiative and drive to bring together development partners to contribute to Egypt’s progress on the SDGs and promoting national development. She added that the 2020 Annual report and the new interactive website showcases the engagement and contribution of development partners to Egypt’s progress, underscoring the value of international partnerships to deliver positive change for Egypt. Maser also pledged continued engagement and support in 2021, particularly as the focus will center on the private sector, which presents a “huge potential for Egypt and a great opportunity to unlock this potential.” Commending the Ministry’s fresh and modern vision in documenting Egypt’s development cooperation, Leslie Reed, USAID Mission Director, noted that the Ministry’s efforts are a “source of inspiration” for development partners. “We need your energy and inspiration as we have a long road ahead,” she added. For his part, Uwe Gehlen, Head of German Development Cooperation in Egypt, highlighted the Ministry’s initiative to push for more concise dialogue with development partners, which was critical during the time of the pandemic, and made the “process much more transparent and easier for us.” Meanwhile, Marina Wes, World Bank Country Director, stated that the Ministry took an “extra step ahead of us all” in an insightful and telling way, and that the World Bank is looking forward to continued collaboration and building on the achievements of 2020. H. E. Ambassador Raouf Saad, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, added that the Ministry’s efforts are “very much needed and timely,” as it “illustrates and promotes the importance of Egypt’s relationship with its development partners, which is important not only in terms of assistance, but also in integrating Egypt’s position in the global economy.” According to the annual report by the Ministry of International Cooperation in 2020, the ministry secured development financing agreements worth $9.8 billion during the year; $6.7 billion for financing sovereign projects, and $3.1 billion in support of the private sector. Minister of International Cooperation, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, underlined that the Ministry of International Cooperation has been working to apply the three principles of economic diplomacy, which are: organizing multi-stakeholder platforms, ODA SDG mapping, and the Global Partnerships Narrative (People&Projects&Purpose). For more information: Website: www.moic.gov.eg Twitter: MOICEgypt The annual report http://bit.ly/MoIC_AnnualReport_English