Al-Mashat Showcases Egypt’s Development Experience with Iraqi Delegation

Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat met on Saturday with an Iraqi delegation to showcase Egypt’s development story for Iraq to benefit from its challenges and success and follow up on the results of the joint Egyptian-Iraqi High Committee held last October.

The delegation was headed by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning for Technical Affairs Maher Hammad, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance Taif Sami Muhammad, and Iraq's ambassador and permanent representative to the League of Arab States Ahmed Nayef Al-Dailami, and a number of Iraqi officials.

During the meeting, Al-Mashat reviewed the International Cooperation Ministry’s mandate in accordance with presidential decree No. 303 of 2004 which is to develop and strengthen the economic cooperation between Egypt and other countries as well as international and regional organizations.

Al-Mashat also explained the principles of Economic Diplomacy which the ministry utilizes to strengthen economic relations with bilateral and multilateral development partners as a way to provide facilitated development funds to state sectors and the private sector, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

She added that the ministry oversees the 377 projects, amounting to over $25 billion, implementing Egypt’s 2030 National Agenda in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Al-Mashat explained that the ministry, through Economic Diplomacy, is pushing forward with cooperation with bilateral and multilateral development partners based on three main principles.

The first principle is through regularly organizing Multi-Stakeholder Platforms to ensure that all projects between development partners are streamlined and effectively aligned with the national agenda and the 17 UN SDGs.

The second principle is mapping ODA financing to the SDGs for all projects with bilateral and multilateral development partners. Lastly, the third principle is adopting a consistent Global Partnerships Narrative: People at the Core, Projects in Action, and Purpose as the Driver, to showcase the story of Egypt’s development trajectory.

Al-Mashat added that the ministry's role is not limited to securing development funds with development partners, but rather it also extends to following up with the beneficiaries in terms of use and payment. Due to this, the ministry has set up a following-up committee that ensures the fast and effective implementation of development projects.

She explained that the ministry co-chairs the United Nations Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF) in conjunction with the Resident Coordinator. The UNPDF is based on four pillars: Inclusive Economic Development, Social Justice, Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resource Management, and Women’s Empowerment.

The minister also mentioned that Egypt has won international awards in recognition of its successful international partnerships in many sectors. One of the major success stories is the story of Benban Solar Park, the largest solar energy power complex in the world. This was implemented in cooperation with the government, the private sector, and few development partners.

Another major project is Bahar El-Baqar Wastewater Management, which is one of the most important water treatment projects that falls under the Sinai Community Development plan.

For their part, Iraqi officials wished to strengthen bilateral relations with Egypt in various fields to achieve economic integration, to improve state sectors, and to implement what was agreed on in the Joint Egyptian-Iraqi Higher Committee.