Egypt's Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy received Wednesday a South Korean delegation to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation over rural development and waste management. The Korean delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Interior and Safety in South Korea which is concerned with the local development file, headed by Kim Songsu, who is responsible for administrative and local cooperation Affairs at the Interior Ministry. During the meeting the local development minister reviewed his ministry's efforts to carry out projects to develop local administration, and local planning, in addition to developing resources and improving services in different governorates. Shaarawy asserted the importance of training and capacity building the workers in the local administration, which contributes to improving the level of services provided to citizens, pointing to the possibility of cooperation between the two countries in this field. He indicated that the Egyptian "Decent Life" initiative aims to change the lives of 58 million citizens in rural villages, improving their living conditions and bringing a comprehensive change in all services in the targeted villages. He asserted that the initiative is considered the largest development initiative in Egypt in terms of financial allocations and the number of beneficiaries from the Egyptian countryside. The Minister also touched on the ministry's efforts to implement the new system for municipal solid waste in the governorates, confirming the need to exchange experiences with South Korea in this field in addition to providing training courses for local cadres working in the field of solid waste. Moreover the head of the Korean delegation expressed his country's readiness to provide all support and cooperation with the Ministry of Local Development during the coming period, especially in the areas of training and helping Egyptian cadres to quickly provide services to citizens. Songsu hailed the Korean and Egyptian close relationship asserting the mutual keenness to enhance areas of cooperation and benefit from the development experience in South Korea.
