Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, hosted a meeting at the Cabinet headquarters in the New Administrative Capital to discuss potential collaboration with development partners on the "Decent Life" (Hayah Karima) initiative. Attendees included Randa Al-Manshawi, First Assistant to the Prime Minister, Sayed Ismail, Deputy Minister of Housing for Infrastructure Affairs, Hisham El-Halbawi, Assistant Minister of Local Development for National Projects, and a working group from the Ministry of International Cooperation. The meeting responded to the growing interest from development partners in contributing to the "Decent Life" initiative, which aims to improve living conditions in rural Egyptian villages. This collaboration would involve managing specific externally-sourced tasks for priority projects within the initiative, ultimately contributing to sustainable development goals. "We explored various collaboration models with development partners," Minister Al-Mashat stated. "Further meetings will be held to define the optimal approach, particularly for completing remaining tasks in the first phase and implementing the second phase, which directly improves rural Egyptians' quality of life." Al-Mashat emphasized that this collaboration builds upon existing successful partnerships with development partners in various development programs, contributing positively to achieving development targets and citizens' aspirations. Randa Al-Manshawi highlighted the focus on drinking water and sanitation projects for this collaboration, due to their direct impact on citizens' lives and the need for tasks that can be procured from abroad. "This collaboration will not only fulfill development partners' desire to contribute to 'Decent Life,' but also reduce pressure on foreign currency," she explained. Al-Manshawi further noted that cooperation with development partners leverages existing government investments in water and sanitation infrastructure within the targeted villages. Many projects are already completed, requiring only specific tasks to begin full operation, which can be achieved through this partnership. Deputy Minister Ismail praised the significant transformation brought by "Decent Life" drinking water and sanitation projects in rural villages. He also emphasized ongoing cooperation with Egyptian manufacturers to deepen and localize the industry, meeting the sector's needs and maximizing benefits.
