Egypt's ministers of investment, planning and environment discussed on Tuesday with Amina Mohammed, the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, future developmental projects in Egypt worth $1.2 billion. The meeting was held in New York on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum of the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Egypt's Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr, Minister of Planning and Administration Hala Al-Saeed, and Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad discussed various projects with Mohammed, including new projects to upgrade the sewage and water system, developing the Sinai Peninsula, empowering women, and improving education. The projects are part of the strategic partnership between Egypt and the UN, which is planned until 2022. The meetings also tackled economic and social support from the Egyptian government, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, for the most needy Egyptians. The three ministers also held a meeting with the heads of the UN economic commissions, with Egypt's permanent representative to the UN, Mohamed Idris, in attendance. The meeting tackled the establishment of a workshop between the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which includes 18 Arab countries. The workshop, which will be titled Regulatory Reform for Investment in Egypt, aim to provide participants with skills and tools for implementing regulatory reforms. The workshop is to be held in Cairo at the GAFI headquarters from 26 to 30 August. At the UN meetings, the Egyptian delegation met with the UN's regional economic commissions for Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. The delegation discussed with the United Nation's Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which includes 54 African countries, the achievement of regional integration among the countries of the continent and the formulation of development assistance programmes that contribute to the further development of the continent, especially its infrastructure. The Egyptian delegation also discussed with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which includes 53 countries, cooperation in the fields of investment, development and transport and discussed with the 33-nation Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean the strengthening of economic ties between countries in the region and attracting new investments to Egypt. The Egyptian delegation agreed with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which includes 56 countries, to exchange and apply best practices and economic expertise.
