Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, met with Abdallah Al Dardari, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab states, to discuss strengthening their strategic partnership for sustainable development. The Saturday meeting underscored the UNDP's role as a key partner for the Egyptian government. Minister Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of collaboration with development partners, focusing on productive sectors and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). She highlighted the government's efforts to drive development through macroeconomic policies, investments in health, education, and industrial localisation. Al-Mashat outlined key areas for partnership with the UNDP, including advancing Egypt's national development goals, together with expanding private sector participation, human capital investment, and innovative green financing tools. This also includes supporting SMEs and improving the domestic and international investment climate for sustainable development goals, as well as utilizing the "Human Development Report" for analyzing and reviewing development policies in Egypt. The UNDP reiterated its commitment to a stronger partnership, proposing collaboration in several areas such as supporting policy formulation, implementation, and diagnostic studies in these areas. They also proposed collaboration on climate finance mechanisms to bolster Egypt's climate action agenda, enhancing cooperation on Egypt's "NWFE" national platform, focusing on water, food, and energy projects. Both parties discussed preparations for upcoming events: * HLPF 2024: Collaborating on Egypt's participation in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July, focusing on eradicating poverty amidst global challenges. * Future Summit 2024: Working together for the 2024 Future Summit during the UN General Assembly in September. Minister Al-Mashat reviewed cooperation priorities within the existing partnership framework and the 2023-2027 UN-Egypt Sustainable Development Strategic Framework. She emphasized the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation, highlighting the UNDP's role as a platform for showcasing Egypt's development experience. The discussions also addressed collaborating on initiatives to enhance employment opportunities and reduce poverty, aligning with Egypt's human capital development goals. The two sides also tackled building national capacity on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and Carbon Taxonomy to advance Egypt's climate action efforts. Discussions also covered coordinating with the UNDP, USAID, and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs to combat climate threats to Red Sea coral reefs, promoting multi-party cooperation for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Al-Mashat and Al Dardari also discussed utilizing the UNDP's experience in the Northwest Coast Development Project, including mine removal phases, to support the region's development and reintegration of mine victims into the economy. The meeting was attended by Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative to Egypt, and several officials from the programme and the ministry's team.
