LI Yong, director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), will be visiting Cairo from 11 to 14 December. The purpose of his visit is to hold high level meetings with the government and development partners, as well as to participate as a key note speaker in the Intra-African Trade Fair 2018, hosted by Egypt. The meetings with the government will tackle the perspective of UNIDO's future engagement in Egypt, in light of the Egyptian government's request for UNIDO's assistance, on a new programme for country partnership. The new phase of collaboration will further mobilise UNIDO's expertise in supporting Egypt's efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals, by promoting and advancing inclusive and sustainable industrialisation. The discussions between LI Yong and the Egyptian partners will focus on topics such as job creation, small enterprises development, investment promotion, the industrial sector competitiveness, value chain development, as well as renewable energy and industrial resources' efficiency. In addition to the meetings with the Egyptian government, LI Yong will also engage with representatives from the private sector, foreign investors in Egypt, as well as donors and international financial institutions, to consolidate and expand partnerships. UNIDO's portfolio in Egypt comprises of 11 main projects, with a total budget of over $30m, implemented with the generous support of nine primary donors. The UNIDO team in Egypt includes about 60 professionals based in Cairo, Alexandria, Egypt's Delta, Luxor, Sohag, and Minya.
