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  • Thursday, 24 February 2022

Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat Met with the Delegation of the IFAD’s Independent Office of Evaluation

Minister of International Cooperation: We look forward to expanding the scope of development cooperation with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and increasing the participation of the private sector in line with national priorities.

The head of the IFAD’s Independent Office of Evaluation thanked the Ministry for its cooperation and coordination to complete the delegation’s tasks The Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat met with the delegation of the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE), as they were concluding their visit to Egypt, aiming to evaluate the IFAD, and the role of IFAD’s Multi-Country Office in Egypt in carrying out its objective in promoting rural and agricultural development activities in Egypt and in the rest of the Middle East and North Africa region. Al-Mashat met with the Lead Evaluation Officer Mr. Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan, alongside a number of officials from the IFAD’s IOE. Al-Mashat welcomed the delegation to Egypt, and expressed her appreciation for the work they carried out from February 15 to 22, in the context of strengthening the strategic partnership between Egypt and the IFAD.

The Minister also referred to the strategic cooperation and strong partnership between Egypt and the IFAD, which contributes to developing the agricultural sector, achieving rural development, and supporting the country’s commitment to achieving sustainable development within the framework of its 2030 vision. Al-Mashat added that the Government of Egypt is looking forward to expanding the scope of cooperation with the IFAD through new development projects, in line with presidential initiatives, to improve the livelihoods of citizens in rural Egypt.

Al-Mashat noted the close cooperation between the IFAD’s office in Egypt and relevant national entities, and the continuous support and coordination to implement partnerships and achieve desired goals, including the Promotion of Rural Incomes through Market Enhancement (PRIME) project; the Sustainable Agriculture Investments and Livelihoods (SAIL) project; and the Promoting Resilience in Desert Environments (PRIDE) project; all of which promote rural development and achieve sustainable economy growth by focusing on the agriculture sector, one of Egypt’s most vital sectors for the economy. The Minister also pointed out the IFAD’s visit to Egypt last Octobre to inspect the on-ground projects being implemented, and interviewing beneficiaries, reflecting the effectiveness of development cooperation projects being implemented by the country in cooperation with developing partners and relevant entities. The Minister expressed interest in opening the door to more prospects for joint work, to expand the implemented projects to promote rural development, to transition towards smart and sustainable agricultural sector, and to reach more beneficiaries to meet the state's development priorities, in addition to expanding the scope of the private sector's participation. Al-Mashat thanked the teams at the Ministry and at the IFAD’s IOE for their joint work in the last period. For his part, the Lead Evaluation Officer from the IFAD’s IOE Mr. Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan, thanked the Ministry of International Cooperation for its support during the delegation's visit to Egypt to conduct its second institutional evaluation of the organization’s nature of support provided by the IFAD’s Multi-Country Office in Egypt to the IFAD’s lending and non-lending activities in Egypt and rest of the Middle East and North Africa region, as well as a better understanding of the effects of the decentralization process in the field. During the visit, the evaluation team held meetings with officials of the Ministries of International Cooperation, Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Foreign Affairs, the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA), and the Agricultural Development Program to collect the information and necessary data for the evaluation. The lead evaluation officer presented the most important findings of the evaluation process. He explained that the findings will contribute to developing the necessary recommendations to enhance the IFAD’s activities in Egypt, and the countries it addresses through its multi-country office, alongside incorporating the importance of private sector participation. It is worth noting that the IFAD is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, established in 1977 and headquartered in Rome. The most important development goals it addresses includes; eradicting poverty in rural areas, promoting social development, ensuring gender equality, food security, and sustainable environmental development. The total development cooperation portfolio with the IFAD amounts to $1.1 billion, supporting the development of 14 projects with the participation of various development partners, of which the IFAD financed $520 million. These projects are aimed at creating sustainable agricultural development and increasing the income and resilience of small farmers, alongside 3 major projects that are currently being implemented; PRIME, SAIL and PRIDE. The establishment of the country delegation office in Cairo dates back to 2006. In 2016, the executive council decided to develop the country office into a center, which began operations in October 2019. During 2021, it became a multi-country office, serving 7 countries in the region: Egypt, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan Syria and Yemen.

The Minister also referred to the strategic cooperation and strong partnership between Egypt and the IFAD, which contributes to developing the agricultural sector, achieving rural development, and supporting the country’s commitment to achieving sustainable development within the framework of its 2030 vision. Al-Mashat added that the Government of Egypt is looking forward to expanding the scope of cooperation with the IFAD through new development projects, in line with presidential initiatives, to improve the livelihoods of citizens in rural Egypt.

Al-Mashat noted the close cooperation between the IFAD’s office in Egypt and relevant national entities, and the continuous support and coordination to implement partnerships and achieve desired goals, including the Promotion of Rural Incomes through Market Enhancement (PRIME) project; the Sustainable Agriculture Investments and Livelihoods (SAIL) project; and the Promoting Resilience in Desert Environments (PRIDE) project; all of which promote rural development and achieve sustainable economy growth by focusing on the agriculture sector, one of Egypt’s most vital sectors for the economy. The Minister also pointed out the IFAD’s visit to Egypt last Octobre to inspect the on-ground projects being implemented, and interviewing beneficiaries, reflecting the effectiveness of development cooperation projects being implemented by the country in cooperation with developing partners and relevant entities. The Minister expressed interest in opening the door to more prospects for joint work, to expand the implemented projects to promote rural development, to transition towards smart and sustainable agricultural sector, and to reach more beneficiaries to meet the state's development priorities, in addition to expanding the scope of the private sector's participation. Al-Mashat thanked the teams at the Ministry and at the IFAD’s IOE for their joint work in the last period. For his part, the Lead Evaluation Officer from the IFAD’s IOE Mr. Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan, thanked the Ministry of International Cooperation for its support during the delegation's visit to Egypt to conduct its second institutional evaluation of the organization’s nature of support provided by the IFAD’s Multi-Country Office in Egypt to the IFAD’s lending and non-lending activities in Egypt and rest of the Middle East and North Africa region, as well as a better understanding of the effects of the decentralization process in the field. During the visit, the evaluation team held meetings with officials of the Ministries of International Cooperation, Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Foreign Affairs, the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA), and the Agricultural Development Program to collect the information and necessary data for the evaluation. The lead evaluation officer presented the most important findings of the evaluation process. He explained that the findings will contribute to developing the necessary recommendations to enhance the IFAD’s activities in Egypt, and the countries it addresses through its multi-country office, alongside incorporating the importance of private sector participation. It is worth noting that the IFAD is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, established in 1977 and headquartered in Rome. The most important development goals it addresses includes; eradicting poverty in rural areas, promoting social development, ensuring gender equality, food security, and sustainable environmental development. The total development cooperation portfolio with the IFAD amounts to $1.1 billion, supporting the development of 14 projects with the participation of various development partners, of which the IFAD financed $520 million. These projects are aimed at creating sustainable agricultural development and increasing the income and resilience of small farmers, alongside 3 major projects that are currently being implemented; PRIME, SAIL and PRIDE. The establishment of the country delegation office in Cairo dates back to 2006. In 2016, the executive council decided to develop the country office into a center, which began operations in October 2019. During 2021, it became a multi-country office, serving 7 countries in the region: Egypt, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan Syria and Yemen.