The Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat held a bilateral meeting with Borge Brende, the President of the World Economic Forum (WEF), as part of the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in St. Petersburg, taking place from June 2 to June 5, to discuss international economic cooperation. During the meeting, Al-Mashat referred to the cooperation between the Ministry of International Cooperation and the WEF in several fields and activities, such as launching the ‘Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator’ in 2020, and launching its plan earlier this year in February. This accelerator is the first public-private collaboration model in Africa, and in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It is launched by the Ministry of International Cooperation, together with the WEF and the National Council for Women (NCW), aiming to empower women and engage their participation in the labour force. Al-Mashat stated that the WEF offers unique platforms bringing together all stakeholders to the table in order to exchange points of view and experiences with global leaders and to push forward the structural reform agenda across different sectors through global and regional summits, as well as periodic annual meetings where topics that represent a global economic challenge are discussed, in addition to discussions with policy makers and world leaders on the economic, cultural and business levels so as to craft a global and regional agenda. Earlier in 2020, the Ministry of International Cooperation was chosen to chair the Public Sector of the the Middle East and North Africa board of directors that was formed in celebration of the WEF’s 50th anniversary; alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim Holding, Alan Bijani, representing the private sector. The board encompasses many representatives from both the public and the private sectors, as well as economic experts from the region. This platform serves as an engagement platform that aims to study global economic developments and their effects on the region's economies, it also aims to formulate and craft important initiatives. The group was developed with the aim to become the MENA region’s working group pushing forward the development agenda and discussing the region’s great reset post COVID-19. Members of the group include H.E. Al-Mashat and several regional leaders, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister, H.E. Mohammed Al-Jadaan; the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Economy, H.E. Abdulla bin Touq; UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, H.E. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi; Jordan’s Minister of Finance, H.E. Mohamad Al-Ississ; and Oman’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, etc. Moreover, the regional action group for the MENA region has launched the principles of Stakeholder Capitalism: crafting inclusive economic policies, stimulating economic integration, re-shaping the education system, harnessing the 4th industrial revolution, promoting environmental sustainability, mitigating global health risks, and committing to good and agile governance. The principles aim to develop a comprehensive, sustainable and flexible economic recovery that achieves cooperation between the public and private sectors, and that reshapes societies and economies. The WEF’s 2020 annual report - “Committed to Improve the State of the World” - included H.E. Al-Mashat’s reflection of the different activities she has ventured into with the WEF since her nomination as a Young Global Leader in 2013. The Minister emphasized the importance of her participation in the platforms and discussions held by the WEF; mentioning the initiatives launched in joint cooperation between the Ministry of International Cooperation and the WEF in 2020. Established in 1871 in Geneva, Switzerland, the WEF is an international organization that works on enhancing cooperation between public and private sectors through an annual economic forum with the participation of prominent political and economic leaders from all over the world.