The world needs solidarity and multilateral cooperation in order to mitigate the pandemic’s challenges.

The Ministry of International Cooperation announced that 35 virtual training programs have been organized with the Chinese side, with the participation of 210 governmental cadres across sectors of transportation, maritime transport, health, education, space science, environment, industry, solidarity, agriculture, and electricity. This comes within the framework of the international partnerships the Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, holds with multilateral and bilateral development partners to bolster Egypt’s regional and global economic cooperation, and to enhance the investments in human capital. Minister Al-Mashat stated that the Ministry of International Cooperation is keen on enhancing the exchange of expertise, knowledge and technical assistance, within the framework of its international partnerships with multilateral and bilateral development partners, supporting Egypt’s vision in building human capacity. H.E. Al-Mashat noted that virtual discussions were held with the Chinese side about the status of scholarships in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Al-Mashat stated that the Ministry of International Cooperation is working towards advancing economic cooperation with the multilateral and bilateral development partners through the three principles of Economic Diplomacy; Multi-Stakeholders Platform, the Official Development Assistance (ODA) mapping to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Global Partnerships Narrative that puts “People at Core” through “Projects in Action,” with “Purpose as the Driver”. The Ministry is keen to provide technical assistance for the ongoing development projects through international partnerships, promoting the mutual exchange of knowledge and expertise, and providing the necessary training programs for government cadres to achieve the desired, effective results. The Minister explained that the world needs solidarity and multilateral cooperation in order to mitigate the pandemic’s challenges and socio-economic impact, and to accelerate the pace of implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in light of the current challenges countries are facing in achieving development. Al-Mashat noted that international cooperation, along with international partnerships between countries and development organizations have become of paramount significance to underpin joint efforts pushing forward glocal development. The ongoing portfolio of cooperation with China amounts to $1.8 billion, directed to the implementation of several development projects across various sectors such as health, agriculture, education, technical education, electricity, and many more. Over the span of four years, 1,110 training programs were carried out with China, benefiting more than 4,000 governmental officials, in addition to 25 training programs in high-priority fields, benefiting 300 governmental cadres in the fields of health, agriculture, population, and water resources.