Looking back at its successes and most critical events of 2021, the Ministry of International Cooperation witnessed the launching of the first edition of the Egypt- International Cooperation Forum under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
The forum featured a perse number of panel sessions and workshops that included the participation and attendance of more than 1,500 government officials, heads of international and regional financial institutions, representatives of the private sector, and civil society.
The forum galvanized renewed commitments and championed innovative sources of finance through promoting an exchange of knowledge, success stories and expertise to implement policies realistically on-ground.
Over the course of two days, the hybrid forum discussed a number of important and relevant topics that capture global sentiments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the role of multilateralism in post COVID-19 recovery and the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area and triangular cooperation to advance sustainable development at the regional level.
To localize the global SDG agenda, the forum also discussed the means of increasing private sector participation in development through international cooperation, green financing, and investment in human capital, with the example of “A Decent Life” initiative that highlights the role of a participatory approach to development to include various stakeholders.
The forum included notable participants and attendees, including Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, Dr. Jeffrey Schlagenhauf, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Vera Songwe, Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Jutta Orbelinen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Namibia, Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development in Cameroon, Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, Keiko Miwa, World Bank's Regional Director for Human Development, Jorge Moreira da Silva, Director of the Development Co-operation Directorate at OECD, Khalida Bouzar, UN Assistant Secretary General, AbdulHakim Elwaer, FAO’s Assistant Director- General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa,. Anita Bhatia, Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director at UN Women, and Jay Collins, Vice President of Citibank’s Corporate Banking and Investments.
The forum concluded with a Communique that includes 38 recommendations for international policy makers, among them:
Establish an international monitoring framework to monitor the commitments and agreements reached and track their implementation in various world summits and international forums.
Multilateralism is indispensable for post COVID-19 recovery with an emphasis on country ownership for “building back better”
Strengthening the role of the private sector in development through international partnerships to provide financing and technical support, as well as to mainstream ESP principles in all projects
Strengthening South-South and triangular cooperation to ensure multilateral cooperation, particularly among African countries, to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
Innovative financing for development by employing international financial mechanisms and instruments, such as blended finance, to mobilize new forms of capital to tackle the SDGs financing gap.
Encouraging youth-led digital transformation in Africa to promote innovation-based development.
Encouraging digital investment, strengthening technology infrastructure, and promoting the African digital transformation agenda.
The final recommendations were agreed upon and endorsed by all participants from government representatives in Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America, multilateral and bilateral development partners, the private sector and civil society.
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