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COVID-19 promotes public, private, civil society cooperation: Al-Mashat Ministry of International Cooperation works with development partners to help Egypt achieve United Nation's 17 SDGs
There is an urgent need to enhance cooperation between the public and private sectors and civil society to confront crises, according to Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat. She stressed that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has not only emphasised this, but also shown it is important in achieving the country's sustainable development goals (SDGs). The minister added that no country can overcome the current crisis except with close cooperation between the three sectors. Minister Al-Mashat's comments came during her participation in a conference organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, entitled "Economic recovery Post COVID-19." The conference was attended by over 160 participants from 26 countries, in addition to representatives of governments, the European Parliament, and the World Bank. Also present were representatives from the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), financial institutions, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Minister Al-Mashat reemphasised the vision that she had earlier presented to the World Economic Forum (WEF). In this, she highlighted that the pandemic calls for a reshaping of economic and social systems, and reinforces the need for cooperation between all relevant parties. This is especially as the pandemic has proven that it knows no international borders, and that its effects can slow economic activity whilst impacting production and global consumption. She explained that the vision includes four methods of defining public and private sector participation efforts. These include accelerating the pace of overall economic and social empowerment, setting a new vision for economic integration, and harnessing the fourth industrial revolution. It would also see a strengthening of management and environmental supervision. Minister Al-Mashat noted that the Ministry of International Cooperation is working closely with development partners to support Egypt's plan towards achieving the UN's 17 SDGs. She pointed out that Egypt has already undertaken significant efforts within the four methods, and that the country has expanded its umbrella of social protection. This has taken place through programmes designed to support women during the current pandemic, and providing 1.5 million irregular workers with government support for a period of three months.
