Ministry of International Cooperation participated in the celebration of the first World Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, which was launched by the United Nations to be celebrated on the twenty-ninth of September of each year, and aims to reduce food waste globally to achieve the second goal of the sustainable development goals “end hunger”.
Ministry of International Cooperation prepared a film on projects implemented with a number of development partners in Upper Egypt to achieve agricultural and rural development to promote sustainable food production and consumption and ultimately protect food security. This participation comes within the ministry’s global partnerships narrative: people at the core, projects in action and purpose as the driver to document development stories and increase public awareness of them. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, affirmed that the ministry is seeking, through multistakeholder platforms with all development partners, to coordinate and prioritize financing for projects in the agricultural sector to achieve food security and reduce food waste. A meeting was held last July in the presence of the Ministry of Agriculture and all international partners, in which all aspects of cooperation were discussed and the challenges facing the implemented projects in the sector were discussed, and successful partnerships were highlighted. She drew attention to the Luxor visit, which took place in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development, the World Food Program and the Ministry of Agriculture, to inspect a number of implemented projects to achieve agricultural development, support small farmers, and strengthen value chains. The minister added, “The story of development in Upper Egypt is a clear model for effective development cooperation with international partners. It is a story of awareness, productivity, and change, and support for the vital role that sustainable production and consumption plays in enhancing food security.” It is noteworthy that the Ministry of International Cooperation supervises the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Framework with the United Nations (UNPDF) and chairs the Steering Committee, which focuses on (1) comprehensive economic development (2) social justice (3) sustainability of environmental and natural resources emerge. 4) Empowering women.