Al-Mashat, WB Delegation Tour Pyramids Plateau, GEM

International Cooperation Minister Dr. Rania Al-Mashat accompanied on Friday a delegation of the World Bank (WB) at the Pyramids Plateau in the presence of the renowned archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass.

The WB delegation listened to a detailed explanation about the pyramids' history. They also get acquainted with the Pyramids Plateau development project, which will be associated with the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The delegation expressed their great admiration for the greatness of the archaeological area and the ancient Egyptians' intelligence as well as the development project, which will make the area top the global tourism map.

After that, Al-Mashat headed with the delegation for the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) contributed to establishing it.

[caption id="attachment_104057" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Dr. Al-Mashat and WB Delegation at GEM[/caption]

The total number of the moved artifacts to GEM 49,603, while the number of the renovated antiquities amounted to 46,600.

The minister said that GEM would be the Egyptian people's gift to the world, pointing out that the Egyptian government exerts efforts to achieve sustainable tourism in line with the global trends and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which top the government's priorities.

She noted that GEM is distinguished by its location near the pyramids and having the biggest collection of artifacts, one of each has a different story.

Meanwhile, the delegation hailed the speed of establishing the museum and its being close to Sphinx International Airport, looking forward to opening it this year.

The delegation included Dean of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank Dr. Merza Hasan, Executive Director at the World Bank Group representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Sri Lanka Aparna Subramani, World Bank Group Executive Director representing the United Kingdom Richard Montgomery, WB Executive Director for Djibouti Jean-Claude Tchatchouang, Alternate Executive at the Board of the World Bank Group Ragui El-Etreby, and Director of the International Finance Corporation's office in Egypt Waleed Labadi.