Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation has announced that the ongoing development cooperation portfolio between Egypt and Switzerland amounts to $59.06m. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said that the development cooperation consists of grants to finance seven projects. These relate to the fields of industry, urban development, drinking water, housing, waste management, communications, and health. The details were revealed during a meeting between Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat and the Swiss ambassador in Cairo Paul Garnier, alongside the new head of the Swiss Office for International Cooperation, Valerie Liechti. The meeting sought to discuss bilateral economic relations between Egypt and Switzerland, and future areas of cooperation for the period from 2021-2024. This falls in line with the Ministry's endeavour to develop and strengthen economic cooperation relations between Egypt and other states, as well as regional and international organisations. The two sides also discussed the new cooperation programmes, and the most important proposed areas that will be focused on as part of the Egyptian government's priorities. This is especially in the sectors of environment, new and renewable energy, and women's empowerment. They also discussed ways to enhance the participation of the private sector, as the Ministry of International Cooperation seeks to make 2021 a year to enhance the sector's participation in development efforts. It is projected that this will take place through international partnerships, especially funds directed to stimulate the transformation towards a green economy. Minister Al-Mashat also praised the strategic relations relating to economic cooperation between Egypt and Switzerland, which has been ongoing for more than 40 years, and resulted in many cooperation agreements in various fields. She affirmed that the Ministry of International Cooperation seeks to develop and strengthen relations with multilateral and bilateral development partners through the three principles of the economic diplomacy. These cover a joint coordination and cooperation platform, matching development finance with the UN goals of sustainable development, and listing international partnerships. The minister noted that she is looking forward to further partnerships with Switzerland, to promote the national development agenda and the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). It will also support the participation of the private sector through international partnerships. For his part, Ambassador Garnier congratulated Minister Al-Mashat on launching her ministry's annual report for the year 2020. He added that his country is looking forward to joint coordination during the coming period as part of strengthening economic cooperation relations between Egypt and Switzerland in various fields through the new cooperation programme 2021-2024. Egypt and Switzerland have had a partnership extending back over 40 years, during which the Swiss side contributed more than CHF 700m to finance the implementation of more than 200 projects. These have been set up in many development sectors and the private sector. During 2017, a joint strategy for cooperation 2017-2020 was launched to support the national development agenda in accordance with Egypt Vision 2030.
