Framework is comprehensive cooperation document between Egypt and UN to support government's sustainable development priorities, says Minister Rania Al-Mashat Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation and the United Nations (UN) office in Egypt have established a roadmap for the Strategic Partnership Framework in the period between 2023 and 2027. The framework aims to support the Egyptian Government's priorities in achieving economic and social development, which is in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The step took place during the annual Steering Committee meeting for the current Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF), co-chaired by Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat and Elena Panova, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt. The virtual meeting took place at the Ministry of International Cooperation, with the participation of representatives from all UN agencies in Egypt. Also present were representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Education, Local Development, Manpower, Trade and Industry, Environment, Social Solidarity, Planning and Economic Development, and Health and Population. This was in addition to the Egyptian Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA), the National Population Council; and the National Council for Women (NCW). The roadmap established by the Ministry of International Cooperation and the UN aims to organise the stages of preparing the new framework for the strategic partnership in a practical and elaborate manner, and provides a comprehensive vision of the upcoming stages. The meeting made sure that the UN's projects are in line with Egypt's Vision 2030, and focused on the challenges facing Egypt on its path towards sustainable development. This also aims to help the country counter the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The discussion took into account as well the necessity to build on the achievements made during the current Strategic Partnership Development Framework. Minister Al-Mashat said that the UNPDF is a comprehensive document that regulates cooperation frameworks with UN agencies, supporting Egypt's efforts and priorities in achieving sustainable development. She further added that her ministry is responsible for supervising the implementation of this strategic framework with the UN, and is the national coordinator of this partnership. It also chairs the Steering Committee for the Partnership Development Framework in Egypt. The minister said that the UN in Egypt, its agencies, and programmes have played had a strategic role in supporting the government's priorities in different sectors in order to enhance the national efforts of achieving sustainable development. She added that in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the partnership between the UN and Egypt was highly developed, as a result of reorienting the partnership to support the country's home grown response plan facing the pandemic. Minister Al-Mashat emphasised the importance of linking the analysis and outputs of the planning stage for the Upcoming Strategic Partnership Framework in order to achieve the desired development outcomes. She noted that it is necessary for the new framework to take into account supporting the national efforts to combat climate change and to enhance environmental sustainability. Egypt has taken several steps forward within this framework, and was the first country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to issue $750m in green bonds, in addition to the establishment of a Climate Change Center for Africa in Egypt. The Minister added that the Ministry of international Cooperation is working towards advancing international partnerships through the principles of Economic Diplomacy to constantly coordinate with stakeholders in order to ensure the achievement of the desired results of the strategic partnership development framework with the UN. Economic Diplomacy is based on three key principles; Multi-Stakeholders Platform, the Official Development Assistance (ODA) mapping to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Global Partnerships Narrative that puts "People at Core", "Projects in Action," and "Purpose as the Driver". For her part, Panova, who is also co-chair of the Steering Committee for the Partnership Development Framework, applauded Egypt's efforts on coordinating the work within the partnership's framework. Panova added that 2020 was an exceptional year on all levels. However, the Egyptian Government took rapid measures to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was positively reflected on the economic indicators. This ensured that Egypt was the only country in the MENA region that maintained positive growth during the pandemic. This was despite recessions in most countries around the world. She further mentioned that the Egyptian Government took several measures that helped catalyse the country's positive economic growth, such as the Takaful and Karama social safety net programme. Panova also expressed her appreciation of the Government of Egypt's issuance of a policy tracker responding to the needs of women during the outbreak of COVID-19, which made Egypt the first country to provide a women-specific response during the pandemic. She also applauded the participation of national authorities in implementing the UN's plan to recover from the economic and social impacts of the pandemic in Egypt, which is being implemented from July 2020 to December 2021.
