Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat held a meeting with Corinne Fleischer — Regional Director for the World Food Programme (WFP) in the Middle East and North Africa — on Saturday. The meeting witnessed discussions on cooperation between the two sides, including available opportunities in light of Egypt's hosting of the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh this November and the interest that the state attaches to strengthening joint work with international institutions and development partners on advancing climate action efforts. This is in addition to discussing the participation of the WFP's' global NWFE Programme that was launched recently to finance a list of green government projects in the fields of energy, food, and water under the umbrella of the National Strategy for Climate Change. The meeting also covered cooperation in the field of school meals and the ongoing partnerships between the government and the WFP. Furthermore, the minister invited the WFP to participate in the Egypt-ICF Forum in its second edition next September, which will be an opportunity to enhance joint action and discuss key messages and activities to be implemented at the COP27, as well as gathering African finance and environment ministers to unify messages and discuss the continent's priorities at the conference. Al-Mashat praised the continuous cooperation and coordination between the ministry and the WFP in preparing the country's strategy for the 2023-2027 programme. For her part, Fleischer affirmed the WFP's keenness to continuously cooperate and coordinate with the ministry to participate in the COP27 in light of the great importance of development projects in the field of adaptation to climate changes to supporting and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. They also praised the launch of the NWFE Programme and its importance in promoting development efforts in vital sectors, such as energy, food, and water, especially projects related to early warning systems. The current portfolio between Egypt and the WFP amounts to $586m going into several projects that are being implemented, the most important of which is the project to achieve agricultural and rural development in Upper Egypt, where the programme implemented projects in 63 villages in five governorates in its first phase.
