Inspiring collective action around the open-ended consultative process for the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027, the Ministry of Cooperation launched the second round of consultative meetings with other key stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, development partners, think tanks and academia, to put forward a common agenda that provides a powerful vision for a more secure, inclusive, and prosperous future.

Tackling development challenges requires an “all-hands-on-deck” effort that leverages the comparative advantage of every stakeholder, which is why the Ministry of International Cooperation and the United Nations Office in Egypt, as co-chairs of the Joint Steering Committee, held multiple meetings with civil society and trade union institutions, multilateral and bilateral development partners, the private sector, entrepreneurs, think tanks, and research institutions in order to unlock innovative solutions that accelerate progress and boost the capacity and performance of policy implementation. 

Over the course of a week, the meetings witnessed the participation of 36 multilateral and bilateral development partners, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the European Union, and 38 civil society organizations, including the Egyptian Network for Integrated Development, the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, Caritas Egypt, 31 private sector institutions including the Bank of Alexandria, the American Chamber of Commerce, Coca-Cola, the Egyptian Businessmen Association, and Falak Startup, as well as 20 representatives of academic and research organizations including Cairo University and the American University in Cairo.

The Minister of International Cooperation, Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, noted that the Ministry launched extensive consultations for the new development cooperation framework in May 2021, which included the participation of more than 30 national bodies and around 28 United Nations agencies. She added that “the participation of research and academic bodies is an important and main link not only in the chain of consultations, but at the level of implementation, maximizing impact and sustainability.”

Referring to the Decent Life Initiative (Hayah Karima), the Minister emphasized the importance of the international community in promoting the principle of a decent life, and benefiting from the Egyptian experience in reaching the most vulnerable groups in order to achieve integration and inclusion in development processes.

With the aim of constructing a participatory dialogue on stakeholders’ priorities, while also discussing how national priorities can be consolidated through future projects with the United Nations, the Minister noted that a draft of the new strategy is expected to be finalized later this month, which will represent a blueprint for the partnership’s new strategic framework that capitalizes on the UN’s comparative advantages in tackling developmental challenges through innovative solutions. 

For her part, Elena Panova, the UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt, mentioned; “participatory and inclusive stakeholder consultations are important milestones in developing the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027. Indeed, development stakeholders - civil society, private sector, international development organizations and think tanks/academia – provided invaluable inputs and reflections on the catalytic development solutions the United Nations development system in Egypt is offering through the new UNSDCF. The large participation was an acknowledgment of our collective efforts in supporting Egypt’s development priorities with focus on vulnerable people who are at risk to be left behind.”